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Black Voters at Heart of Legal Challenge to VA Redistricting Plan

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The chief architect of a Republican legislative redistricting plan is expected to testify in a lawsuit that claims the plan unconstitutionally packs black voters into a dozen legislative districts.

Delegate Chris Jones of Suffolk is expected to take the stand Wednesday in federal court in Alexandria and defend the plan. Jones led efforts in 2011 to redraw that state's legislative boundaries for the 100-member House of Delegates.

A lawsuit alleges that the lines are gerrymandered to concentrate African Americans into 12 legislative districts. As a result, according to the suit, black voters' influence in the other 88 districts is diminished.

The trial began Tuesday, and if the three-judge panel rules for the plaintiffs, the legislature could be required to draw up new legislative districts.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.