There seems to be a smidgen of proof (sarcasm) about the Shark Tank’s 2011 story claiming that the Republican-led redistricting process was rigged from the very beginning. The story confirming a deal had been struck within the legislature on redistricting cause a political Tsunami, as Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and numerous other pundits and news agency ran with the news.

Well, now there is this little lawsuit that has been filed, and is set to go to trial this week, and could prove to be embarrassing for all parties involved.

According to The League of Women Voters and other groups, who filed the suit, the Republican Legislature of violating the 2010 Fair Districts reform by drawing up legislative and congressional maps that benefited Republicans.

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The long-delayed trial over the way the congressional districts were drawn will feature a parade of political power brokers set to testify.
The case has outsized importance for seats held byJacksonville Democrat Corrine Brown, whose district zigzags south to Orlando, and the South Florida seats of Reps. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, and Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach.

All three districts are singled out in the lawsuit as unconstitutional because of the way GOP mapmakers added Democratic voters, rendering neighboring Republican seats safer in elections.

The case will hinge on claims found in thousands of pages of court records that Republicans drew the maps “in the shadows with the secret involvement of partisan operatives” — and whether that would amount to gerrymandering districts to preserve GOP majorities.
Legislative lawyers have responded that critics are using “inconsequential communications” with political consultants “to construct a false conspiracy theory.”-Orlando Sentinel

In 2011, Republcian legislature told the Shark Tank that Allen West would be “screwed” after the maps were drawn. How could he or she know that Allen West would be “screwed” if the maps were not even drawn up, let alone submitted for approval.

This comment was made in August 2011, and the maps were not released until the spring of 2012. You can easily figure it out that this was planned.

As mentioned in the Orlando Sentinel, the Republicans beefed up Democrat districts with more Democrat voters from neighboring districts in order to preserve existing GOP-friendly districts.

Here is more….

Yet both sides have unearthed evidence showing consultants involved in drawing versions of maps designed to tilt elections.

Republicans used Gainesville-based Data Targeting and longtime GOP operative Pat Bainter, who was paid more than $6.2 million during the last three years to work on Republican races. Bainter’s company last week was still resisting disclosing documents in the trial.

In November 2011, former Cannon aide Kirk Pepper — who now works for Cannon’s lobbying firm — gave copies of draft congressional maps to Republican Party of Florida operative Marc Reichelderfer two weeks before they were made public.

But University of Florida political scientist Daniel Smith has testified on behalf of the plaintiffs that Reichelderfer had copies of the maps at least two weeks earlier, and versions of the districts he worked on were “identical” to versions later publicly released by legislative staff.

Pepper also forwarded Reichelderfer an email detailing changes made to the district of U.S. Rep.Sandy Adams, R-Orlando, to address “things the Speaker has said are important to him.”

Adams was drawn into a district along with 10-term incumbent John Mica, R-Winter Park, who defeated her in the 2012 GOP primary.

But like we said, this is not just a Republican issue. Republicans worked with Democrats to rig the redistricting process.

Oh wait, I almost forgot how they tried to cover this all up.