The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is getting ready to open a last public comment period before it picks final legislative boundaries.
These next meetings mark a near end to a months-long process that saw the commission face criticism for its interpretation of federal voting laws and the constitutional amendment that created it.
Some lawmakers in the state Senate recently spoke out against a decision by the commission last month to receive legal advice behind closed doors.
Commissioner M.C. Rothhorn defends the choice.
“We best made the decision we had with the information. We needed information that our attorneys potentially said, ‘You don’t want to risk having this in an open meeting. There’s a privilege you can enjoy. Take it.’ We did.”
The commission will meet in late December to choose final maps for the state’s next House, Senate and Congressional Districts.