Appeal planned in redistricting case

Judge critical, but upholds division in Bullitt County

By ALEX DAVIS
alexdavis@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Sunday, February 29, 2004

An attorney representing a group of Bullitt County residents said yesterday that he would appeal a judge's decision upholding a redistricting plan that divided the county among four state legislative districts. In a 10-page ruling issued Friday, Franklin Circuit Judge Roger Crittenden criticized the meandering 18th Legislative District but wrote that it still passed constitutional muster.

The 18th District stretches more than 80 miles, carving out part of Fort Knox and reaching almost to Owensboro. "This is insanity," said attorney Joseph Wantland, who represents Bullitt residents who sued the state Board of Elections in March 2002 soon after the districts were drawn. "The only way it works is to go through land (at Fort Knox) where you have no voters." Wantland, who is the city attorney for Shepherdsville, said he planned to appeal the case to the state Court of Appeals. If possible, he said, he would seek to have the lawsuit moved directly to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Among the plaintiffs are residents in each of Bullitt's four legislative districts: the 18th, 27th, 49th and 50th. Crittenden's ruling denied a motion by the plaintiffs asking the judge to order a new redistricting plan that would divide Bullitt County into fewer districts. The lawsuit argued that the redistricting bill passed by the General Assembly eroded Bullitt's political power, with three of the four districts dominated by other counties.

Representatives from the Board of Elections could not be reached for comment yesterday. Republican Dwight Butler, from Hardinsburg in Breckinridge County, represents the 18th District. He said yesterday that his elongated district sometimes makes it difficult to meet the wide-ranging needs of voters now. But Butler, who said he was not directly involved in drawing the latest maps, said he feared a "domino effect" on the rest of the state's elected leaders if the lawsuit succeeded. He said changing even one district might require additional tinkering to five or 10 others.

State Rep. Mary Harper, R-49th District, said she often handles issues for Bullitt County residents outside her district because people are uncertain where the boundaries are. "It's not really a big problem," said Harper, who covers the county's northern end. "I think everybody handles it well." Crittenden issued a similar decision in the mid-1990s upholding the constitutionality of district lines in Laurel and Pulaski counties. The Associated Press contributed to this story.