Top court: Kansas Constitution allows partisan redistricting
By JOHN HANNA
AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ highest court has declared that the state constitution does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering. The justices split 4-3 Tuesday in explaining their reasons for previously upholding a Republican congressional redistricting law. The state Supreme Court issued only a brief opinion last month in approving the new congressional map. The new map makes it harder for Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids to win reelection in her Kansas City-area district. It also moves the liberal northeast Kansas community of Lawrence into a district with conservative western and central Kansas. The court’s majority said the Kansas Constitution permits legislators to consider partisan factors in redistricting.