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Michigan Supreme Court dismisses redistricting lawsuit

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Posted at 7:31 PM, Feb 03, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-03 19:31:10-05

(WXYZ) — The Michigan Supreme Court has shot down a lawsuit brought by current and former Black state lawmakers over the recently adopted redistricting maps.

The court found that the plaintiffs did not violate the Voting Rights Act and that the majority-minority districts the lawmakers were arguing for may violate the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution as information presented to the court during arguments show majority-minority districts are not necessarily needed for minority groups to elect their preferred candidates due to crossover voting patterns.

The justices voting in the majority were Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, as well as Justices Elizabeth Clement, Megan Cavanagh, and Elizabeth Welch.

Justices Brian Zahra, David Viviano, and Richard Bernstein dissented in the case. However, they wrote their dissent did not disagree with the findings of the court. The dissenting justices wrote they thought the dismissal was premature and that the court should hear the presentation of evidence before ruling on the matter.

You can read the decision below:

163926-2022-02-03-or by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd