ND: Judge selects legislative district map in tribal voting rights case
A federal judge has taken the task of drawing legislative district lines away from North Dakota lawmakers and into his own hands to ensure tribes get fair representation.
U.S. District Judge Peter Welte on Monday ruled that a redistricting plan known as Map 2 from a previous ruling will be used for the 2024 election, putting the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Nation in the same legislative district.
The tribes had sued the state, arguing that the legislative maps drawn in 2021 violated the Voting Rights Act by not putting the Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake reservations in the same district, thus diluting the voting power of Native Americans.
Welte on Nov. 17 ruled in favor of the tribes, giving the Legislature until Dec. 22 to come up with a redistricting plan that would comply with the Voting Rights Act. Legislators missed that deadline, prompting Welte to choose from one of two maps included as options in his ruling.
https://northdakotamonitor.com/2024/01/08/judge-selects-legislative-district-map-in-tribal-voting-rights-case/