A landmark Florida redistricting trial came to a close Wednesday after 11 days. The Florida Legislature presented its last witness for the defense.
A judge is weighing whether the Republican Party influenced the GOP-dominated Legislature as they drew the 2012 congressional district map.
Florida House of Representatives Legislative Analyst Jason Poreda took the stand to rebut the claim. He says drafters considered no partisan input for the map.
“We just assessed the constitutional standards of all of the either district ideas we may have taken from the public and how they complied with the state constitution, and also the Voting Rights Act, and everything we drew was the same," Poreda says. "We never looked at any partisan intent for anything."
Poreda also maintained the Legislature’s position that the new district lines preserved the compactness of Florida communities.
Both the plaintiffs and the defense will submit their closing arguments and rebuttals in writing over the next two weeks. Judge Terry Lewis will render his verdict in the weeks following.
