Lance v. Coffman

The Lance v. Coffman legal battle is very interesting because it calls into question the laws that were lobbied for and imposed by the law makers themselves. The issue in this case was brought into the spotlight and turned into a lawsuit after the 2000 Colorado census. After the census, state legislators panned to redraw congressional districts, which would make room for a new representative. Many didn't want the rezoning so they fought the process, and when it couldn't be done the case went to court. The state attorney general, Lance, was actually the one that filed the lawsuit because he did not believe that legislators, Coffman and his associates, should be able to redraw the congressional districts.

Lance backed his lawsuit with the law, stating that the Colorado Constitution stipulates that there can only be one redistricting per census. The case would eventually head to the Colorado Supreme Court where the Attorney General, Lance, was found to be in the right. The reason for this is that there was a redistricting in 2002, using up the one chance for redistricting, not allowing another to take place in 2003.

The Lance v. Coffman case sparked controversy among Colorado citizens who felt like their rights have been violated or limited because they felt that the first redistricting did not count under the law. Though the case was separate from the state case, citizens brought the case to the district courts. There they were told that they had standing to be in front of the court, but the correct decision had already been made by a higher court.

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