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Which Congressional district you live in will likely be decided by a judge in Tallahassee, who as Mike Vasilinda tells us, spent the day listening to lawyers for the legislature and voters groups telling him why one of the seven maps submitted is better than the others.

Judge Terry Lewis ruled last August that GOP consultants and lawmakers made a quote

“Mockery” of drawing fair districts without political intent.

Legislative attempts this summer to draw new maps collapsed amid political turmoil. Now Lewis must decide between one of seven maps draw by lawmakers and voters groups. David King, representing the League of women Voters and Common Cause told the court “the burden of proof is on the legislature.”

The legislative staff director who drew what has been called a base map behind closed doors was the first to testify. Jason Poreda was grilled on whether political figures had input into the map drawing.

Q:”And could the Speaker of the House come into the room?”

“No. No he could not.”

Q:Did he ever try?”

“No.”

Two seats in Tampa were redrawn to keep them from crossing Tampa Bay.

Raoul Cantero, who represents the state Senate said of the two districts  “We fixed that. They have no problem with that.”

So the fight is over how two seats in South Florida were drawn. Lawyers contend political intent has made them overwhelmingly Republican when at least one should be competitive.

The voting groups lawyer says recent reports about African American prisoners being packed into a Jacksonville to Tallahassee district will not affect who wins the seat.
“We’ve looked at that pretty carefully. I don’t think.If you are suggesting that the prison population will somehow affect the ability to elect a minority candidate in district 5, I don’t think that’s the case at all” says David Kind.

Florida’s Supreme Court has set a deadline of October 17th for having this process done.”

The hearing could continue into Monday.

Congressman Daniel Webster, who’s GOP safe seat will become majority Democratic under the new maps was not allowed to intervene in the trial today. Two State Senators involved in the latest map drawing are expected to take the witness stand Friday.