Legal fight poised over Indiana county’s redistricting
(Photo courtesy of Visit South Bend)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — A legal fight is emerging over the redrawing of local election districts in northern Indiana’s St. Joseph County.
The Democratic-controlled County Council voted this past week to hire a law firm for a possible lawsuit against the new election maps approved by the all-Republican county commissioners.
Opponents of those new maps argue they wrongly shift most of the county’s Black population into one of the three commissioners districts that is confined to the South Bend city limits.
Critics say the districts are tilted toward Republicans.
Commissioners President Andy Kostielney has said he’s confident the proposed maps would stand up to any legal challenge.