On February 27, U.S. District Magistrate Roanne L. Mann in the eastern district issued an order in the redistricting lawsuit called Favors v Cuomo. She wants the plaintiffs, and Assembly Democrats, and Senate Republicans, and all other intervenors, to submit proposed U.S. House district boundaries by Wednesday, February 29. She wants a detailed explanation for each plan of how that plan comports with applicable federal and state law. Responses to each of these maps are then due by Friday, March 2.

She has also appointed some experts, including Law Professor Nathaniel Persily, to help her make the final choice, and she expects to make that final choice in mid-March. It is theoretically possible that the legislature will now move quickly to pass its own plan, because the entire basis of the Favors lawsuit is that the legislature is hopelessly deadlocked and the court must act in its place. See this story, which was published shortly before the court hearing. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for this news.

On February 27, the Virginia Circuit Court in the city of Richmond ruled that the 2012 session of the legislature does have authority to draw U.S. House district boundaries. See this story. The case is Jennifer Little v Virginia State Board of Elections, CL 11-5253. Last month the same court had ruled that the plaintiffs had standing. The plaintiffs had argued that the Virginia State Constitution requires the U.S. House districting to be done in the year after the census. But, in 2011, the legislature did not draw new districts, although it did do so early in 2012.

On February 27, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said he won’t challenge the validity of the recall petition filed to remove him from office. See this story. In Wisconsin, signatures are valid if the voter is eligible to register to vote. There is no master list to check the validity of signatures. The only signatures that the Governor might have been able to invalidate would have been duplicate signatures, and names on the petition in which the so-called signer doesn’t exist, or doesn’t live at the address listed on the petition. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.