Federal court orders some Michigan political districts to be redrawn

Doug Cunningham
·2 min read
19
UPI
Federal judges in Michigan have ordered several House and Senate political districts to be redrawn, ruling that they violate the U.S. Constitution by diluting Black voting power. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (L) was a defendant in the suit. Her office will have to oversee a redrawing of the districts. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/ UPI
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Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Federal judges in the Western District of Michigan on Thursday ordered 13 of the state's House and Senate districts to be redrawn.

The justices ruled that racial gerrymandering in the districts violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution by diluting Black voting power.

"We enjoin the Secretary of State from holding further elections in these districts as they are currently drawn and we will direct that the parties appear before this court in early January to discuss how to proceed with redrawing them," the order said.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was a defendant in the lawsuit.

Benson spokeswoman Angela Benander said in a statement, "Her priority and role remains ensuring all voters and candidates have the clarity they need to fully participate in all elections and working with clerks to ensure any changes in districts are effectively communicated to all who are impacted."

The affected districts are in and around Detroit. They include Senate districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 11 and House districts 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 26.

The case is Agee vs. Benson, a suit brought by 19 Black Detroit area residents that alleged the districts created by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission dilute Black voting power.

Judges Raymond Kethledge, Paul Maloney and Janet Neff ruled that the commission's experts used incomplete primary voting data to calculate Black voting age percentages in the affected districts.

The judges found that the result was to lower Black voting age percentages in the affected districts.

"The record here shows overwhelmingly-indeed, inescapably-that the Commission drew the boundaries of plaintiffs' districts predominantly on the basis of race," the judges wrote in their decision. "We hold that those districts were drawn in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution."

No elections can be held in the districts until the maps are redrawn.