Federal Court Considers Bid By US Rep To Throw Out Map

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBSMiami/AP) — A panel of federal judges will consider a push to throw out Florida's current congressional districts.

The U.S. District Court in Tallahassee will hold a hearing Friday on whether to block the state from using new districts approved by the state Supreme Court last December. The new boundaries upended the state's political landscape and could result in the defeat of several incumbents.

U.S. Rep. Corinne Brown contends the map violates voting rights of minorities. Under the proposal, Brown's district has been shifted from one that runs from Jacksonville to Orlando to one that stretches westward to Tallahassee.

Florida voters in 2010 approved the "Fair Districts" standards, which say that legislators cannot draw districts intended to help incumbents or a member of a political party. The state Supreme Court ruled that the map approved by the Legislature violated these standards.

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