A federal court approves new Michigan state Senate seats for Detroit-area districts

Lansing (AP) — Federal judges gave final approval to a new map of Michigan state Legislature boundaries, concluding a case in which the court previously found that several Detroit-area districts' maps were illegally influenced by race.

In December, the court ordered a redistricting commission responsible for redrawing the state’s legislative and congressional maps in 2021 to redraw 13 state districts. In a Friday opinion, the panel of three judges approved a redrawn map of the Senate seats bringing the proceedings to a close.

The court approved new boundaries for seven state House seats in March, which had to be finalized before the 2024 election. The new Senate seats will not bear weight until the chamber is up for election in 2026.

The original lawsuit filed by Black residents argued that the map diluted their voting power. Although nearly 80% of Detroit residents are Black, the panel said the population of Black voting-age residents in the old districts was significantly lower, ranging from 35% to 45% with one as low as 19%.

Democrats currently hold a slim majority in both chambers after flipping them in 2022. The party’s success was attributed, in part, to legislative maps that were redrawn in 2021 by the state’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

According to the five-page opinion, the residents do not object to the new map. The judges said the final Senate map was drawn “race-blind.”

“The Secretary of State may proceed to implement the Commission’s remedial Senate plan for the next election cycle,” the opinion said.