Politics & Government
Redistricting Commission Goes Into Another Closed Session To Discuss Detroit Lawsuit
The commission decided Thursday, with a 9-2 vote, to go behind closed doors to discuss the MICRC's interpretation of the Voting Rights Act.
January 16, 2022
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission went into another closed session Thursday to discuss a lawsuit filed by the Detroit Caucus regarding the MICRC’s interpretation of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
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The commission decided Thursday, with a 9-2 vote, to go behind closed doors to discuss the lawsuit, which alleges that the commission’s maps, which were passed late last month, violate the VRA and unfairly split up Detroit’s Black voters.
Commission Chair Rebecca Szetela, an independent, and Democratic Commissioner Dustin Witjes voted against going into another closed session.
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A Detroit Free Press reporter who was sitting outside the closed session said after blocking her view with divider panels and placing a table in front of the door, building security was “called down to talk” to her.
This is the first closed session the commission has held after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision that the MICRC’s Oct. 27 closed session was unconstitutional. The court required that the commission release the audio recording from the closed session and two memos discussed in the meeting: “The Voting Rights Act” and “The History of Discrimination in the State of Michigan and its Influence on Voting.”
When asked if the commission is concerned it will face another lawsuit for going into closed session again, MICRC spokesperson Edward Woods told the Advance, “Absolutely not. We were discussing pending litigation.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law in December a bill that amends the state’s Open Meeting Act and prohibits the MICRC from going into closed session for any purpose. Attorney General Dana Nessel also issued an opinion that the commission’s closed Oct. 27 session violated the state’s Constitution.
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