Challengers to Legislative Map Push Back on Special Magistrate’s Report

Opponents of Maryland’s legislative redistricting plan filed challenges on Friday to a high court adviser’s recommendation to keep the boundaries drawn by the General Assembly. Special Magistrate Alan M. Wilner, a former Court of Appeals Judge, said in a Monday report that the legislative maps should stand. Four petitions were filed objecting to that map, which was enacted by lawmakers in January. All of the petitions argue that the legislative map violates the Maryland Constitution’s requirement that legislative districts be compact and respect natural and political boundaries.