Arizona group sues in federal court for approval of new districts

Saturday, 24 April 2004

A coalition of minorities asked a federal court on Friday to approve new, more competitive legislative districts for the 2004 elections rather than waiting for the U.S. Justice Department to rule on the recently redrawn maps.

The group's leaders said they need quick action so candidates know where to stump for votes and so election officials can meet deadlines to organize the election.

The Independent Redistricting Commission was forced to redraw the districts after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge threw out the old maps because there were too few competitive "swing" districts. The commission sent its new maps, which increased the number of districts deemed winnable by both Republicans and Democrats to seven from four, to the Justice Department last week.

Members of the Arizona Minority Coalition, whose lawsuit sparked the changes, said they are asking the U.S. District Court to rule on the new maps as a fail-safe against slow action by the Justice Department. -- Fast OK is asked on redistricting (Arizona Republic)