A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has dealt the Independent Redistricting Commission a sweeping victory by declaring that the agency is not bound by state open meeting laws or subject to investigations into the contested hiring of a mapping consultant.

Now that the outright abolition of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission appears to be off the table, legislative Republicans may seek voter approval for a host of reforms to the panel.

The partisan legislative maneuvering over Arizona’s redistricting process may be over for now, but the arguments lived on as Republican and Democratic leaders spent more than two hours on Wednesday making their cases to the remapping commission.

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is considering a handful of changes to its legislative map, including proposals that would add another competitive district.

A major overhaul of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission’s congressional map would eliminate Maricopa County’s centerpiece district and drastically shift the lines in rural Arizona.

Agendas for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission’s meetings for the week now include the possible approval of its new maps, and the final vote could come within the next few weeks.

The independent panel tasked with drawing new political lines that the state will use for the next decade is expecting to wrap up its work in the next few weeks, despite opposition from many of the Republicans that control state government.

At yesterday’s IRC meeting, Voting Rights Act consultant Bruce Adelson repeatedly emphasized that DOJ likes to see a lot of debate and discussion about Voting Rights Act districts when contemplating preclearance for new maps.

In its first week back on the job after the reinstatement of ousted Chairwoman Colleen Mathis, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission considered changing some the most oft-maligned aspects of its congressional draft map.

Arizona's redistricting commission is trying to line up briefings by state legislators for next week to hear their views on proposed draft legislative and congressional maps now being retooled by the commission.