By Hank Stephenson | Arizona Capitol Times
The two House speakers looked like they had it in the bag.
As current Speaker of the House David Gowan and former Speaker Andy Tobin stood on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in early March, their attorneys having just delivered compelling testimony during oral arguments in their big case, Arizona Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, things were looking up for the two congressional wannabes.
Everyone from veteran court watchers to those skeptical of the Legislature’s argument said lawmakers had a good shot at winning their lawsuit to wrest back control of the congressional redistricting process, given the court’s seemingly critical view of the Independent Redistricting Commission’s defense of its authority to draw congressional districts.
In 2000, voters took that power away from lawmakers by amending the state Constitution and gave redistricting to a five-member commission made up of political appointees. The Independent Redistricting Commission is tasked with drawing state legislative and congressional district maps every 10 years, following the U.S. census.
