Tagged: redistricitng

A new map of Kentucky’s congressional districts is on the verge of becoming law.

State House Speaker Greg Stumbo declared congressional redistricting dead earlier this week, since it looked like both chambers could not agree on the new districts. But with the state Senate able to find enough votes to pass a compromise, a new map is in play.

Efforts to redraw Kentucky's U.S. House districts are dead in the General Assembly.

State House Speaker Greg Stumbo made that declaration after the state Senate could not agree to the latest compromise on district maps.

"I think that ship has sailed, that bell's rung," Stumbo said. "I think the Secretary of State will have to certify those folks as the candidates and so the current status of law is that in my opinion they would run in the current Congressional district."

A Franklin Circuit Court judge has thrown out new legislative district maps, saying they violate the basic principles of the Kentucky Constitution.

Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling is based on the so-called “five percent rule.” It says new districts must be within five percent of their ideal size. Shepherd added that the maps of both the House and Senate districts divided too many counties.

A judge has ruled that Kentucky lawmakers can't implement newly redrawn legislative districts. Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled this afternoon on the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly redrawn district boundaries. House Republicans unhappy with the outcome of the legislative redistricting battle filed the lawsuit in January claiming the new boundaries favor Democrats. The lawsuit contends the legislative districts could have been better balanced by population and could have been drawn in a way that required fewer splits in counties and precincts.

A Kentucky judge is taking more time to decide the future of the state's new legislative district maps.

Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd heard four hours of testimony Monday on whether the plan that redraws state House and Senate districts are constitutional.