By Associated Press, 11/04/02

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WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court upheld Michigan's new congressional boundaries on Monday, just a day before voters pick occupants of the newly drawn seats.

Democrats had challenged the plan which favors Republican candidates. They claimed the plan scatters black voters, who tend to vote Democratic, throughout Republican districts.

"Advances in political data-gathering and computer technology have made it increasingly easy for legislatures to gerrymander with surgical precision, excising and shifting just a few politically undesirable voters at a time," their lawyer, Paul M. Smith, had told the Supreme Court. "There has never been a clearer need for some enforceable limit on the ability of legislators to dilute the voting power of a class of citizens based on their political viewpoint."

Lawyers for Michigan argued that the case wasn't properly before the high court.

Justices John Paul Stevens and Stephen Breyer said the court should have heard arguments in the case.

A federal judge in Michigan ruled against the Democratic challengers earlier this year.

The state's congressional delegation now has nine Democrats and seven Republicans. The districts were redrawn by the Republican-controlled state Legislature to adjust for population shifts after the 2000 Census. Michigan lost one congressional seat.

The case is O'Lear v. Miller, 02-200.