Democratic commissioner Jose Herrera unexpectedly resigned from the state’s five-person Independent Redistricting Commission today.

Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill providing yet another supplemental appropriation for the commission that drew up new legislative and congressional districts following the 2010 Census.

Attorneys for the Independent Redistricting Commission and Republican voters filed their final written briefs Wednesday in a lawsuit to determine whether Arizona’s legislative map should be redrawn.

Testifying in federal court, Colleen Mathis finally had her chance to give a direct explanation for events that, over the past two years, have been woven into a full-blown conspiracy theory by Arizona Republicans.

Federal judges hearing a civil suit brought by Republican voters who claim the state’s new legislative maps were illegally drawn to benefit Democrats questioned lawyers Friday about whether some members of the commission that made the maps were free of political influence.

A panel of three federal judges is set to hear closing arguments in a civil suit brought by Republican voters who claim the state’s new legislative maps were drawn up to give Democrats a better chance of winning seats in the state Legislature.

The future of Arizona’s legislative map is in the hands of three federal judges, who wrapped up four days of trial testimony March 28 and heard pointblank denials from Democrats that they gerrymandered the districts.

A Democratic redistricting commissioner and the Democratic party’s interim executive director denied insinuations they were part of a conspiracy to rig the state’s legislative maps. But newly released records showed party leaders and incumbent lawmakers were at least included in mapping strategy emails sent to the commissioner on his non-commission email account. And phone records show more connection than the commissioner had previously acknowledged.

The Republican conspiracy theory that accuses Democrats of rigging the state’s legislative district map during the most recent redistricting cycle now includes the alleged involvement of Richard Miranda, a former Arizona lawmaker who is currently serving time in prison for unrelated crimes.

The state’s redistricting commission will run out of money before legal fees accrued in multiple lawsuits can be paid, the commission’s staff said Thursday. The commission’s director has begun negotiating with the Legislature over another supplemental appropriation.