Redistricting - How shocking! Hauser/Liburdi sue over BOTH maps UPDATED 10:50pm MST 4-27-12

Late Friday afternoon, David Cantelme Mike Liburdi and Lisa Hauser have reportedly filed lawsuits challenging Arizona's newly enacted Congressional AND legislative district maps. The Congressional map challenge was filed in state court (apparently Maricopa County Superior Court) and the legislative map challenge in federal court.

When I receive copies of the initial complaints, I will post them. (links in update below) Hopefully tonight.

Much more to come.

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UPDATE 10:50pm MST 4-27-12

I've just received the initial court documents in the two lawsuits challenging the IRC maps.

I will write about them more over the weekend.

However, the first, very intriguing bit of information is that WES HARRIS is the first named plaintiff on one of the lawsuits.

This is the same guy that was convicted of aggravated assault but hasn't let that stop him from Tea Party activism. Donna Gratehouse reported on his involvement in last year's Phoenix mayoral race. Not long thereafter, he got involved in the effort to undermine the work of the AIRC, testifying in early September something about college students. In October, Phoenix New Times reporter Stephen Lemons explored Mr. Harris' apparent threats (inflammatory language, if not threats) against the President Obama.

Now, Mike Liburdi -- who made no pretense about his representation of UNfair Trust in testimony before the AIRC on several occasions in 2011 -- appears to be hanging his hopes on Wes Harris and friends in the lawsuit Liburdi filed in federal court to challenge the LEGISLATIVE map.

One has to wonder if Liburdi took the case on contingency because the last thing the suit says is that Liburdi (and Harris, et. al.) want TAXPAYERS to foot the bill for this outrageous action:

Plaintiffs further respectfully demand that the Court award it the following relief against the IRC only: an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees under 28 U.S.C. § 1988 and A.R.S. § 12-2030, and an award of other expenses under A.R.S. § 12-2030. (emphasis added)

Exhibits filed with Liburdi's suit are in this document. The first exhibit, which goes to Mike's first claim (questioning Colleen Mathis' integrity), is Mathis' application to become a Redistricting Commissioner.

A very cursory look at the lawsuit gives me the impression that it's brazenly frivolous. But I'll look in more depth over the weekend.

Then, to challenge the Congressional map, Lisa Hauser and Mike Liburdi filed suit in Maricopa County Superior Court. Exhibits for the Congressional map challenge are here. The first exhibit in that suit is also Mathis' application.  The most familiar name in the list of plaintiffs is that paragon of sanity, Lynne St. Angelo, another unabashed Tea Partisan who began showing up in May 2011 to make sometimes incoherent remarks in testimony before the IRC.