Minnesota judges take a turn at redistricting

October 10, 2011

St. Paul, Minnesota: Now that Democratic Governor Mark Dayton has vetoed the Minnesota Republican legislators' redistricting plans, five judges are taking a stab at drawing the new political maps.

The panel of judges, which included Presiding Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright of the Court of Appeals, held a public hearing on Oct. 5. Amidst the myriad of suggestions, the key point that kept surfacing was that communities of interest should remain in the same districts. Candi Walz, the chairwoman of Draw the Line (Minnesota's citizens redistricting commission), explained, "Redistricting should aim to preserve, rather than divide, representation for these people who share common interests." Some also suggested that the districts be kept competitive, meaning that no one political party should have all the control.

Redistricting is mandated every 10 years by the federal government in order to keep district populations the same. More public hearings will follow and the judges plan to release their decision on Feb. 21, unless the Legislature and the Governor come to their own agreement.