RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Republican lawmakers have a two-week deadline to declare whether they plan to comply with a court order to redraw the state's legislative map.
A federal court issued an order Wednesday giving House Republican members until Aug. 24 to say what their plans are.
The court has previously ordered lawmakers to come up with a new map by October after ruling that lawmakers illegally packed black voters into certain districts to make surrounding districts whiter and more Republican.
GOP House Speaker Kirk Cox has appealed that ruling and asked that the October deadline be put off until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the case.
A spokesman for Cox did not immediately respond for comment on Wednesday's order.
Fees
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Attorney General Mark Herring's office is disputing a $4 million request for legal fees from a private law firm that recently won a redistricting case.
Herring's office said in a Thursday court filing that Perkins Coie is seeking a "genuinely astounding fee award" after winning a June ruling. The case accused lawmakers of illegally packing black voters into certain legislative districts to make surrounding districts whiter and more Republican.
Republicans are appealing the ruling, and Herring argues that the question of legal fees should be decided later. Herring's office also said Coie's request should be significantly lower when it is decided.
Herring, a Democrat, hired the firm to help him in a 2013 recount battle. His political committee has paid the firm more than $500,000.
