Judge Orders New Redistricting Plan for Beltrami County

A Minnesota judge has ordered a new redistricting plan for Beltrami County.

Former county commissioner Jim Lucachick and 30 other plaintiffs sued the county about the way the Board of Commissioners selected its redistricting plan in 2022. Ninth Judicial District Judge Christopher J. Strandlie issued a summary judgment yesterday in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered a commission of five people to formulate and certify a redistricting plan for Beltrami County.

In April 2022, the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners approved a redistricting plan that included a population shift of 12,400 people. Commissioners Reed Olson, Richard Anderson, and Tim Sumner voted in favor of the plan, while Commissioners Craig Gassvig and Jim Lucachick voted against it.

In his judgment, Strandlie ruled the board operated under an incorrect assumption through their directives to the redistricting board. The ruling noted Commissioner Olson stated that state statute allows a 10% buffer for the population shift. The court ruled that according to legal precedent, the 10% requirement is not a buffer to the separate requirement that populations be as nearly equal as possible.

In addition, Judge Strandlie ruled there was nothing in the record to show the board’s selection of the chosen proposal was unavoidable when five of the other proposals had significantly lower population shifts.

According to the order, the newly appointed commission must conduct now fewer than three public hearings on redistricting the Beltrami County Commissioner districts. The parties involved must agree on the five-person committee with 21 days. If they don’t agree, the parties will each submit names of five people for the court to consider, and the court will appoint the members of the commission.

Former county commissioner and plaintiff Lucachick tells Lakeland News that the fact there will be no trial due to the summary judgment is great news. He says he didn’t want to sue the county but did what he felt he needed to do.

Lakeland News will hear more from Lucachick on camera on Friday’s show. We also hope to have reaction from board members who voted for the plan back in 2022.