Dems challenge redistricting ruling

SANTA FE (KRQE) - The governor and the legislature are caught in an expensive fight over redrawing the state's 70 seats in the House of Representatives. Democrats wanting to overturn a governor-approved plan took it to the state's highest court on Tuesday.

In September, the legislature was charged with the once-a-decade task of redrawing election boundaries to address changes in population, while keeping minority voting rights and community interests in tact.

A House plan approved by both chambers was vetoed by the governors office, which claimed Republicans would have a disadvantage in elections.

District Court Judge James Hall was appointed to hammer out an agreement. Last month, Judge Hall approved a governor-backed plan.

• It lumps Roswell Republicans Bob Wooley and Dennis Kintigh in the same district in southeastern New Mexico and paired Democrats Nick Salazar of Ohkay Owingeh and Thomas Garcia of Ocate in the northern part of the state to create new seats in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque's Westside, two areas that saw rapid population growth in the last ten years.
• Two Albuquerque incumbents, Democrat Al Park and Republican Jimmie Hall, were placed in the same GOP-leaning district, but Park is not seeking re-election

Democrats argued the governor's plan favors Republicans and doesn't take Hispanic voting rights into consideration.

On Tuesday, Justice Richard Bosson said the adopted plan has partisan bias because it would have likely created one more Republican seat and would have eliminated one Democratic seat.

Democrats hold a slim majority in the House, 36-33. There is one independent.

An attorney for the governor said there is no way around partisan plans.

"Every plan has a political bias in it," said attorney Paul Kennedy, when justices asked why the state should approve a partisan plan. "There's no way to draw a map that doesn't have partisan bias. Question is how far does it swing and which way does it swing."

The Supreme Court Justices said they will make their decision soon.

The legal fight is expected to cost taxpayers millions of dollars.