Judges toss new W.Va. congressional map

Lawmakers in West Virginia will go back to the drawing table to redraft a new map for the state’s congressional districts after a three-judge panel deemed the Legislature’s plan unconstitutional.

A panel voted 2-1 to reject the new map, alleging it maintained the status quo at the expense of equaling out the population size in each district, Reuters reported.

Legislators have until Jan. 17 to put a new plan together, or the courts will take over the process.

Democrats control the redistricting process in West Virginia, where the governor’s mansion and both chambers of the Legislature are in Democratic hands.