The U.S. Department of Justice today approved the legislative map drawn by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

The Arizona Supreme Court acted unanimously last fall to reinstate Colleen Mathis to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, finding that Gov. Jan Brewer’s stated reasons for removing her did not rise to the legal standards required.

The Arizona Supreme Court is scheduled to issue a long-awaited opinion today explaining why it overturned Gov. Jan Brewer’s removal of the head of the state’s redistricting commission.

The U.S. Department of Justice today announced it has approved Arizona’s proposed congressional redistricting plan, despite a last minute appeal by some Republicans who said minority voting rights could have been strengthened.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, two Republican lawmakers said the congressional and legislative maps approved by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission fall short in protecting minority voting strength.

Arizona’s redistricting commission is getting more money so it can keep going while its new congressional and legislative district maps await federal approval and possible legal challenges.

There was no shortage of complaining about giving the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission additional money to pay its legal obligations, but Republican senators ultimately opted to provide the funding.

By doing so, lawmakers avoid a potentially drawn-out legal battle, which would have cost both sides more money.

Senate President Steve Pierce said today that he has serious concerns about spending public money to sue the state’s redistricting commission – and even if lawmakers could be convinced to do that, he’s not sure it would be legal.

House Speaker Andy Tobin is planning to ask lawmakers to sue the state’s redistricting commission over the constitutionality of the legislative map the panel crafted.

The Arizona House of Representatives today gave preliminary approval to a plan that would give the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission $700,000 to get through the rest of the fiscal year, after a series of costly court battles drained the commission’s $3.5 million in yearly operating money.