Baltimore County Council redistricting lawsuit starts in court

A yearlong battle over redistricting maps for the Baltimore County Council played out Monday in a virtual federal court hearing. The process for redistricting, which is mandated by the county charter, began in March 2021 with public meetings and public input. Attorneys for the county spoke first, asking the federal judge to adopt the new map of voting districts proposed by the County Council. The defense team told the judge the map meets the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act and satisfies the judge's order issued last month.