Georgia redistricting plan now final

Wednesday, 24 March 2004

The three federal judges who relented and considered incumbency in redrawing Georgia 's legislative districts refused Tuesday to make other political adjustments.

The panel rejected efforts by lawmakers who were seeking special tweaks to their districts in order to improve their chances at the polls.

The judicial panel had ruled in February that the state's House and Senate election districts are unconstitutional, after a group of Republicans filed a lawsuit a year ago.

On Tuesday, the various parties — Republicans who sued, black lawmakers, House Democrats and the state Democratic Party — asked the judges' map-drawing team to protect "communities of interest" or to separate some of the nearly 50 incumbents still placed in the same districts. ...

The judges did agree to shorten from 45 days to 30 the time that election officials have to mail out absentee ballots before the scheduled July 20 party primaries. The starting date to qualify for the primaries remained April