Republican legislative leaders have voted to hire private attorneys to appeal a court ruling that found Wisconsin’s legislative districts are unconstitutional. The GOP plan would hire the law firms Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Bell Giftos St. John LLC, “and any other firms, entities or counsel deemed necessary for services related to the matter of Whitford v. Gill and legislative redistricting and …
An appointed panel considering 47 percent raises for state lawmakers, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state officials faces a legal challenge: a lawsuit contending that Cuomo and the Legislature violated the state constitution by relinquishing the touchy pay decision to an unelected panel. James Coll, a New York City police detective and college teacher from Long Island who leads an Albany reform …
In Wednesday’s 5-9 vote, the Alaska Legislative Council voted down a motion to continue the lawsuit during a brief morning meeting held by telephone. The vote means the council will not move forward with an appeal of the Superior Court’s decision and that it will end its contracts with two private law firms, said Council chair Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, who voted against continuing the …
A federal judge will launch a three-day trial this week to decide whether legislative district boundaries that Wisconsin Republicans drew four years ago amount to an unconstitutional attempt to consolidate power. Twelve voters who support Democrats filed a lawsuit last summer alleging state Assembly district boundaries created in 2012 were unfairly designed to help GOP …