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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Three federal judges have rejected an attempt to have redrawn congressional districts in Florida thrown out [washingtonpost.com]. The case would have to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to continue:

Florida's long, twisted legal drama over its congressional districts may finally be reaching its end after a panel on federal judges on Monday rejected a push by U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown to throw out the current district boundaries.

Brown, a veteran member of Congress, argued that the current map, which dramatically altered her Jacksonville district, violates federal voting laws because it diluted the voting rights of minorities. But the panel of three judges disagreed sharply and said that Brown and her attorneys had not produced evidence to prove her case. Brown, who had previously vowed to keep up the fight as long as she could, said in a brief statement that she was "extremely disappointed" and is reviewing the ruling with her attorneys. Any appeal, however, would go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court since a three-judge panel handled the initial decision.

The decision could have immediate reverberations because the new map upends the state's political landscape and could lead to the defeat of several incumbents. The current map was approved by the state Supreme Court in December after a lengthy battle. The new map, for example, puts U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, who has been viewed as a rising star for Democrats, in a north Florida district that leans Republican and splits her home of Tallahassee. She has refused to make a decision on her political future because of the ongoing lawsuit. Brown's district has been shifted from one that stretches south to Orlando to one that now runs west to Tallahassee. She has already drawn challengers.

Also at Sunshine State News [sunshinestatenews.com], and the Miami Herald [miamiherald.com].

Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]: "In the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice intended to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries."

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