A two week trial to set Colorado's Congressional Districts for the next decade begins today in Denver District Court (the state trial court of general jurisdiction in the City and County of Denver). Colorado's General Assembly, which has a Republican controlled state house and a Democratic party controlled state senate, failed to to produce a map for the seven Congressional disticts allocated to the state that reflects the population shifts of the 2010 census, so the judge starts with a clean slate. The state school board and CU Regents are also elected from districts identical to the state's Congressional Districts. A ruling is expected about a year before next year's 2012 federal election.
Realistically, absent a really aggressive map drawing by the judge, this is very likely to be the final word and to be upheld on appeal. A bipartisan commission draws state legislative districts, but the Constitution allocates the duty to draw Congressional districts to state legislatures.
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