ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is scheduled to discuss plans for redistricting reform.
Hogan has scheduled a news conference for Thursday.
The governor announced in his first State of the State speech in February that he planned to form a bipartisan commission to explore reforming Maryland's legislative redistricting process.
At the time, he expressed interest in giving the authority of redrawing the state's legislative districts to an independent bipartisan commission.
Currently, the shaping of the legislative districts every 10 years in Maryland is largely in the hands of the governor, who submits a proposed map to the Legislature, which votes on it.
Critics say Maryland has some of the most gerrymandered congressional districts in the country. Gerrymandering is the process in which state officials draw congressional districts to benefit their party.
Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A panel of judges has rejected Republican requests to delay an upcoming special legislative session called to draw new congressional boundaries in Virginia.
The panel ruled 2-1 Wednesday that it was not going to extend a Sept. 1 deadline to correct a 2012 redistricting plan the court found used race as the predominant factor in drawing boundaries.
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has set an Aug. 17 start date for the special session.
GOP lawmakers had asked for an extension, saying they want to wait and see if the U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal in the case.
In June, a federal court concluded for a second time that legislators in 2012 illegally packed black voters into one district in order to make adjacent districts safer for Republican incumbents.
