CHICAGO — Illinois Democrats used inadequate data and an opaque process to draw new legislative districts, a Hispanic civil-rights organization argued in the latest lawsuit seeking to block the maps from being used for statehouse elections over the next decade.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund sued top Democrats and state election officials late Thursday on behalf of five Hispanic registered voters from Illinois, saying the new maps are “malapportioned,” or not drawn to ensure equal representation of all populations. That could result in Hispanics and other minority groups not being equitably represented in the Illinois General Assembly, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Top Illinois Republicans also challenged the maps this week in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Chicago after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the new boundaries into law despite a campaign pledge not to approve politician-drawn districts. The Democratic-controlled Legislature late last month approved the maps — drawn to favor Democrats — with all Republicans voting no.