TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge is going to hold a trial later this month to sort out the congressional-district mess that now surrounds the state's political landscape.
Judge Terry Lewis on Friday agreed to give attorneys involved in a three-year legal battle over Florida's congressional districts until Monday to submit proposed maps.
The Florida Supreme Court in July ordered the Republican-controlled Legislature to redraw the state's 27 congressional districts after finding the current map violated standards adopted by voters. But the House and Senate deadlocked over the issue during an August special session. The two sides have been unwilling to budge.
The court last week ordered Lewis to hold a trial to determine which map should be adopted. It's scheduled to start Sept. 24.
Lewis may have as many as four different maps to consider.
