PHOENIX — The Arizona Court of Appeals is weighing whether to order the state's 30 legislative districts be redrawn, a move that could put Democrats in control of one or both chambers.
At a hearing Tuesday, the attorney for a group challenging the existing boundaries told judges that members of the Independent Redistricting Commission did not give sufficient consideration to a legal requirement they do what they can to create politically competitive districts. These are districts where the number of registered Democrats and Republicans is sufficiently close that a candidate from either party has a reasonable chance of getting elected.
"They did not follow the mandate of the voters," Richard Halloran told the court. The result, according to a coalition of Democrats and Hispanics he represents, is there are only four districts where, under normal circumstances, the general election could go either way.
Judge Kenneth Fields of Maricopa County Superior Court sided with the challengers, ordering the commission to come up with a new plan. But the majority of the panel appealed.
Lisa Hauser, the commission's attorney, said the panel properly interpreted the constitutional requirements. She acknowledged the lines could have been drawn differently, possibly creating more competitive districts. But she said judges cannot substitute their judgment for that of the commissioners.
