GOP suit: Florida redistricting law equals 'thought policing' [View all]
Two Florida Republican Party officials have filed a federal lawsuit to block the states anti-gerrymandering constitutional clauses, arguing the provisions limit First Amendment speech and amount to thought policing.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday night in the conservative-leaning Pensacola division of the Northern District of Florida, comes less than a week before the start of a special legislative session to redraw some of the states 27 congressional districts.
Citing email correspondence from GOP consultants, the Florida Supreme Court ruled last month that at least eight congressional districts were improperly drawn and violated the 2010 voter-approved Fair Districts amendments that prohibited lawmakers from intentionally drawing political boundaries to favor or disfavored political parties or incumbents.
But Pasco County Republican Party chairman Randy Maggard and his Walton County counterpart, Tim Norris, say the amendments themselves infringe on their right to free speech. They also say the courts interpretation of the law ultimately violates their Fourteenth Amendment due process rights because members of political parties are unfairly limited in speaking with elected representatives about redistricting in the future.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/gop-suit-florida-redistricting-law-equals-thought-policing-121039.html
I wonder what would happen if this made it to the SCOTUS...