Redistricting lawsuit by the Democratic party heard

The KY Democratic party along with some individuals brought a lawsuit against the new redistricting maps.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The state’s latest redistricting map has been called to court by a lawsuit saying the new maps are unconstitutional and need to be redrawn. The Kentucky Democratic party and some individual voters brought the lawsuit. Legislatively, the governor vetoed the redistricting plans, but the Republican dominated legislature overrode the veto.

Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate brought up concerns for redrawing the district lines this close to Kentucky’s scheduled May 17th primary.

“Why didn’t you file before the filing deadline? That’s my very first question,” says Wingate. “Don’t you think that freezes, pretty much, the filing deadline? How can I get around that? I’m really trying to- that is the thing that I struggle with with this whole analysis because I feel like if I start doing that, it’ll turn the government into chaos.”

The state says redrawing the lines and getting it approved by the legislature isn’t an option since county clerks need election information by February 23rd, but the plaintiff’s attorney Michael Abate argues the deadline could be pushed.

Abate argues the maps are ‘off-the-charts’ in terms of political gerrymandering. He says counties were unnecessarily divided and put into other districts, which he says violates the Kentucky constitution.

“This map is more extreme partisan gerrymandering than 99% of all plans that have ever been adopted in the United States and that is notwithstanding the fact that we understand this is a red state,” says Abate. “This is literally off the charts on all the graphs of the partisan basis of all the historical elections.”

The state countered, saying that argument has been used before and the courts rejected it. Associate Attorney General Victor Maddox says ‘carving’ the counties was needed to even out the populations in each district based on the latest census numbers.

“I cited to the court the Fearson case from 1898, it said ‘Republicans claim partisan gerrymandering from the congressional redistricting from that time period’ and the court said ‘that’s not something we have any control over, it’s not part of the constitution and we don’t consider this one’,” says Maddox. “I think that’s what they should say here.”

Judge Wingate hopes to make a ruling within the next 10 days.