A Wyandotte County judge struck down a GOP-authored Congressional map enacted earlier this year and ordered the state legislature take steps to address what he considered to be gerrymandered district lines.
It is the first time a state-level judge has waded into redistricting for the U.S. House, though the ruling is all-but-certain to be appealed, setting up a showdown at the Kansas Supreme Court.
Wyandotte County District Court Judge Bill Klapper called the maps passed over the veto of Gov. Laura Kelly earlier this year to be “motivated at least in part by an intent to dilute minority voting strength” and said the state courts had the right to take up redistricting cases.
Three lawsuits were filed challenging the map, arguing the new district lines illicitly divide the Kansas City, Kan. area, as well as improperly place Lawrence in the sweeping 1st Congressional District dominated by western Kansas.