Legislative Redistricting Decision to be Appealed

The legal battle over new legislative districts could move to the Kentucky Supreme Court this week. Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd threw out the new maps of state House and Senate districts last week saying they were unconstitutional because many districts were not within five percent of their ideal size, and would therefore lead to unequal representation. Shepherd also ruled that legislative candidates will have to run in the current districts. The Legislative Research Commission will file an appeal this week to overturn the injunction. Since the issue is of significant public interest or concern, the case can skip appeals court and go directly to the state supreme court.