News
By Abby Meredith
|
February 2, 2012
The Virginia Supreme Court remanded the review of the General Assembly's newly redrawn congressional district lines back to the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond Tuesday, claiming that the lower court had failed to adequately review the evidence.
A group of Democratic state residents filed the initial suit, claiming the redistricting plan is unconstitutional because the General Assembly had not drawn the congressional district lines within a year of the last completed population census as required by the Virginia Constitution.
Geoff Skelley, media relations coordinator at the University's Center for Politics and former Cavalier Daily opinion columnist, said, "Attorney [General] Ken Cuccinelli tried to have the Virginia Supreme Court claim that the decision in the lower court in Richmond was unfounded, but the Virginia Supreme Court refused to halt the suit, so it will be allowed to continue."
Skelley said the Circuit Court will now continue to review the constitutionality of the redistricting plan.
"The elected representatives of the citizens of Virginia have passed a redistricting plan through legislative process, and we will continue to seek to protect the result of that process," according to a press release by the Attorney General's office.
Cuccinelli filed for an emergency clause to move congressional primaries from June 12 to Aug.