More on the redistricting maps just released from the Illinois legislature for state legislative districts. From the Chicago Tribune:

New state legislative boundaries proposed by Democrats would further cement the party’s dominance in Springfield by using a declining downstate population to pit House Republicans against each other in several areas.

“Make no mistake, these maps were drawn solely for the Democrats to maintain their political power in the state of Illinois,” House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said during a news conference Monday in which he ripped the Democratic map proposal….

Democrats already hold a 73-45 advantage over Republicans in the 118-member Illinois House. Under details emerging from a proposed legislative map unveiled by Democrats on Friday evening, the new boundaries would pit Republican incumbents against each other in eight House districts. In east-central and southern Illinois, the homes of four House Republicans are packed into a single district …

Republicans have been a minority party in the Illinois House since 1997, and Durkin said the new boundary lines are worse for his party than any previous redistricting under former House Speaker Michael Madigan….

Democrats dropped their map proposal with few details late Friday and have said little about it other than calling the redistricting plan “fair” and assuring it would be found to meet federal and state voting rights laws if subjected to a legal challenge, as is likely….

With their overwhelming majority, Democrats are rushing to have new legislative maps approved by the scheduled end of the spring session on May 31. They’re trying to avoid any delays that would push the process past June 30 — a constitutional deadline that would set the stage for a lottery giving Republicans a 50-50 chance at controlling the map.