Alabama lawmakers begin plan to redraw racially gerrymandered districts

A committee to draw new Alabama legislative districts met today after a federal court ruled that the Legislature improperly used race as the main factor in drawing 12 of the 140 districts in 2012.

The Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment elected co-chairmen and adopted guidelines it plans to use in redrawing the maps.

In January, a three-judge federal court ruled that three Senate districts and nine House districts could not be used in the 2018 legislative elections because of the racial gerrymandering.

The ruling came as a result of lawsuits filed by the Alabama Democratic Conference, Alabama Legislative Black Caucus, Alabama Association of Black County Officials and others.

Read more: http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/02/alabama_lawmakers_begin_plan_t.html