A series of court rulings issued late last week in two lawsuits against the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission further pave the path for Republican litigants who hope to prove the commission illegally created maps to favor Democrats.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill to give the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission an additional $500,000 to continue its ongoing legal battles.

Arizona's recent redrawing of its congressional and legislative districts is racking up big legal bills for state government. That's largely because of lawsuits challenging the redistricting commission's politically charged work.

While the actual mapping was done in 2011, this past year proved that the fight over redistricting takes many forms, with Arizona’s struggles over political boundaries shifting from the drawing room to the courtroom.

As 2012 comes to a close, some Arizona politicos have reached new heights of prominence and power. Others saw once-promising careers hit the wall.

Jeff Flake and Kyrsten Sinema gained influence and stature in the nation’s capital, while Andy Biggs reached the pinnacle of power in the Arizona Senate.

Meanwhile, former Senate President Russell Pearce and his successor, Sen. Steve Pierce, fell from grace, while a slew of Republican candidates once again failed in their bids to reach the halls of Congress.

Attorneys defending the state’s redistricting commission against allegations of open meeting law violations are touting an appellate court decision today as a victory. So is the county prosecutor who pursued the allegations.

Following several close contests and two weeks of counting, Secretary Ken Bennett and other state officials today signed the official canvass and certified last month’s election results.

The move effectively ended the 2012 campaign cycle and heralded the start of the new one.

With the 2012 election now in the rearview mirror, the results show that the number-crunching done last year by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission was nearly spot on.

Outside groups dug deep into their war chests and poured millions of dollars into state Senate races, splurging in amounts unmatched in Arizona history and inundating voters with attack ads.

The GOP-led Legislature is suing the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, arguing that the voter approved change to the state constitution that created the mapping body violates the U.S. Constitution.