RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A panel of judges has rejected Republican requests to delay an upcoming special legislative session called to draw new congressional boundaries in Virginia. The panel ruled 2-1 Wednesday that it was not going to extend a Sept. 1 deadline to correct a 2012 redistricting plan the court found used race as the predominant factor in drawing boundaries. Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has set an Aug. 17 start date for the special session. GOP lawmakers had asked for an extension, saying they want to wait and see if the U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal in the case. In June, a federal court concluded for a second time that legislators in 2012 illegally packed black voters into one district in order to make adjacent districts safer for Republican incumbents.
