LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court justice has denied Republicans' request to delay a trial over whether Michigan's congressional and legislative districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
Monday's decision by Justice Sonia Sotomayor means federal judges will start the trial Tuesday.
GOP lawmakers had asked the high court to stay the proceeding until it rules in redistricting cases from Maryland and North Carolina.
The League of Women Voters and Democratic voters claim districts were shaped by Republican operatives to guarantee the party's dominance after the 2010 census. They say constitutional rights were violated when Democratic areas were packed in certain districts or diluted elsewhere.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, proposed a settlement under which some state House districts would be redrawn for the 2020 election, but the judges rejected it Friday.
