Michigan legislature spends $1.2M intervening in gerrymandering case headed to U.S. Supreme Court
LANSING, MI -- The Michigan legislature has racked up $1.2 million in legal bills fighting a federal court case alleging Michigan’s districts are illegally gerrymandered, according to financial documents released by the House and Senate business offices.
The case, League of Women Voters v. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, was filed in 2017 and challenges Michigan’s political districts. A federal court in April ruled those districts were gerrymandered and required the maps be re-drawn -- a process that’s been put on hold while the United States Supreme Court considers the case.
The case did not name the legislature or individual legislators, who approved the maps in 2011, as a party. Instead, Republicans including individual House lawmakers and the Senate Republicans chose to intervene in the case, and have spent more than $1 million in that effort.
The House released a tally of its expenditures related to the case: $656,390. House Republican spokesperson Gideon D’Assandro said the House contracted with Clark Hill, an international law firm.
Read more: https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/06/michigan-legislature-spends-12-million-intervening-in-gerrymandering-case-headed-to-us-supreme-court.html
