LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Republicans are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a court-ordered redrawing of the state’s congressional and legislative districts pending their appeal.
In briefs filed Friday with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Republicans say Michigan’s political system is on the brink of being thrown into “unnecessary chaos.” They say the potential “massive diversion of resources” in the Legislature to meet an Aug. 1 deadline could be pointless depending on how the high court decides other states’ gerrymandering cases next month.
A panel of three federal judges ruled last month that Michigan must redraw dozens of congressional and legislative districts for the 2020 election because Republicans unconstitutionally diluted the power of Democratic voters. It also ordered special state Senate elections, which Republicans say would be an unprecedented, unconstitutional truncation of senators’ terms.
