Legislators Fight To Avoid Testifying In Redistricting Case
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — Should legislators who draw up the districts that will help keep them in office be forced to testify about how they came up with the district?
Florida's Supreme Court will try to answer that question as a lawsuit is challenging the long-standing privilege that shields legislators from testifying in lawsuits.
Justices sound skeptical about whether state legislators must answer questions in a long-running political battle.
Groups suing over the way legislators drew new districts for the state Senate and Congress want to interview legislators. The Supreme Court on Monday spent nearly an hour hearing arguments from both sides.
Several justices made it clear they would be reluctant to allow "open-ended" questions for legislators. But some justices said some limited questioning may be reasonable in redistricting cases.
The decision by the Supreme Court could play a pivotal role in the final outcome of the lawsuit that seeks to overturn the current districts.
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