Kentucky Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Redistricting Case

The fight over redistricting has moved to the Kentucky Supreme Court.Lawmakers approved new lines for state House and Senate districts earlier this year. But a judge declared them unconstitutional, citing a precedent that districts can't be more than five percent larger or smaller than their ideal size. Lawyers for the Legislative Research Commission promptly appealed the ruling.In a hearing today today, LRC lawyer Sheryl Snyder argued that the high court should throw out the precedent.But the handful of House Republicans who filed the initial suit disagree. Their attorney, Victor Maddox, told the supreme court that the LRC's argument is a false solution.“It is a solution in search of a problem because for the last 18 years Kentucky has had a perfectly fine, perfectly workable, clear and flexible rule for deciding how to redistrict the state every 10 years,” Maddox argued.The high court took testimony and asked questions for just under one hour before adjourning. The court did not set a deadline for ruling on the case.