Democrats sue to overturn new Kansas congressional districts

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Democrats have sued Kansas officials over a Republican redistricting law.

The lawsuit filed Monday challenges a map that costs the state’s only Democrat in Congress some of the territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carries by wide margins in elections.

A team of attorneys led by prominent Democratic attorney Marc Elias filed the lawsuit in Wyandotte County District Court in the Kansas City area.

The Republican-controlled Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the plan Wednesday. Democrats argue that the map is unacceptable because it splits Kansas City, Kansas, and decreases the number of minority voters in U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ district. Republicans reject those criticisms.