Judge blocks Florida Legislature's redistricting amendment from November ballot
By Marc Caputo and Lee Logan, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
In Print: Friday, July 9, 2010
TALLAHASSEE — A judge on Thursday struck down the Legislature's proposed constitutional amendment concerning political districts because, he said, it is too confusing for voters to understand.
Amendment 7 was drafted by the Republican-led Legislature in response to two other proposed amendments that a liberal-leaning citizen group placed on the ballot. Those amendments, 5 and 6, would make it tougher for lawmakers to draw political districts that favor a political party or an incumbent.
But the Legislature's proposal — which lawmakers said would "clarify" the amendments of the Fair Districts Florida group — created far more confusion, Tallahassee Circuit Judge James Shelfer said in a ruling from the bench.
