LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- A federal lawsuit accusing Michigan of unfair gerrymandering can go to trial.
The judges on the U.S. District Court panel said the League of Women Voters and several Democrats in the lawsuit have a case.
The lawsuit is against the Republican Secretary of State’s Office – that’s the office in charge of overseeing Michigan’s elections. It accuses the state of allowing gerrymandered political districts that unfairly help Republicans.
In the court opinion, Judge Eric Clay pointed out emails unearthed during the proceeding where mapmakers talk about packing so-called “Dem garbage” in certain districts to let Republicans get more territory. Clay wrote: “Emails that the mapmakers exchanged illustrate the profound extent to which partisan political considerations played into their redistricting efforts”
The court further said those partisan efforts were successful.