A trio of federal judges on Friday will hear arguments from an attorney for U.S. Rep. Corrine BrownĀ on her move to temporarily stopĀ a congressional redistricting scheme ordered by the Florida Supreme Court.
The one-hour hearing is set for 9 a.m. in the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee.
U.S. Circuit Judge Robin Rosenbaum andĀ U.S. District JudgesĀ Mark Walker and Robert Hinkle alsoĀ will hear from lawyers for the League of Women Voters of Florida, Common Cause, the Florida Legislature, and Secretary of State Ken Detzner.
Brown, a 23-year veteran of Congress, sued in Tallahassee federal court over the stateās new political congressional district boundaries. TheĀ Jacksonville Democrat has saidĀ her new district violates federal voting laws by cutting down the influence ofĀ minority voters.
Floridaās new congressionalĀ map, redrawn after a successful constitutional challenge, stretches her 5th District east-west to the Tallahassee area, instead of its former north-south configuration.Ā The district, called one of the most gerrymandered in the country, had meandered from Jacksonville through Gainesville to Sanford.
Brown is asking the court for a preliminary injunction, which would keep the current boundaries in place until the lawsuit is decided. The congresswoman has to show she “will suffer irreparable harm unless the injunction is issued.”
In December, the Florida Supreme Court approved aĀ redrawn version of the stateās 27 congressional districts, three years after a lawsuitĀ had allegedĀ they were unconstitutional.
The League and othersĀ sued over the newĀ lines drawn after the 2010 census, contending that the map violated a state constitutional prohibition against gerrymandering, the manipulation of political boundaries to favor a particular incumbent or party.
The prohibition was in amendments passed by voters in 2010 known asĀ āFair Districts,ā which theĀ League itself spearheaded.
Brown, who was served in January with a subpoena in a federal investigation, has said through a spokesman she intends to run for re-election this year.Ā The details of the investigation are still not known.
A political associate of Brown told FloridaPolitics.com as many asĀ 150 peopleĀ from Jacksonville may come to Tallahassee onĀ Friday to support Brown.
