The Supreme Court said Tuesday it would take another look at an independent panel that draws Arizona’s electoral maps, a day after the court ruled states can use such commissions for redistricting. The high court’s Monday decision, which came on a 5-4 vote, focused on allowing states to use commissions to draw district boundaries for federal elections. The new case examines whether Arizona’s panel violated the law in how it set boundaries for state races beginning in 2012. A group of state voters brought the challenge, arguing the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission created districts with varying numbers of voters that diluted the power of Republican districts in favor of Democrats.
The challengers alleged members of the redistricting commission were motivated by partisan concerns and wanted to create districts in which Hispanic voters could exert influence.
Wesley W. Harris, the named plaintiff in the case and a conservative activist who helped found a tea-party branch in Phoenix, said he disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling Monday allowing redistricting commissions, but said he was happy the justices would further review the Arizona panel’s work, which he said disenfranchised Republican voters.
Full Article: Supreme Court to Re-examine Arizona Panel That Draws Voting Maps – WSJ.