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| AG VAN HOLLEN APPEALS FEDERAL COURT DECISION ON REDISTRICTING |
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WPR News - AG Van Hollen appeals federal court decision on redistricting
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Friday April 20, 2012
by Shawn Johnson
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(UNDATED) Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says he expects to be personally involved in the appeal of a federal court decision that made slight changes to Wisconsin's Republican-drawn redistricting map.
Republicans got nearly everything they wanted in redistricting. Even though a federal court was unusually critical of the secretive way the maps was drawn, it rejected most of the legal challenges brought by Democrats. The court ruled only that the GOP map violated the federal Voting Rights Act by the way it divided the Latino community. Judges redrew just one line between two Milwaukee Assembly Districts.
But Van Hollen says he thinks that victory can get nothing but stronger if the U.S. Supreme Court accepts the case, "I believe, and the reason I have appealed, is that the judiciary overstepped their bounds. It's my job as attorney general of this state to defend the powers of our state leaders--the powers of our governor, the powers of our legislature--that are preserved for them in our constitution. And that's what this appeal is all about."
Republicans hired a private firm to help represent the state during the initial court battle, setting aside nearly a million dollars to cover the costs. Van Hollen said he had not decided whether the firm would be retained for any appeal, but said he would personally take an active role in the case.
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