RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Republican lawmakers have a two-week deadline to declare whether they plan to comply with a court order to redraw the state’s legislative map. A federal court issued an order Wednesday giving House Republican members until Aug. 24 to say what their plans are. The court has previously ordered lawmakers to come up with a new map by October after ruling that lawmakers illegally packed black voters into certain districts to make surrounding districts whiter and more Republican. GOP House Speaker Kirk Cox has appealed that ruling and asked that the October deadline be put off until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the case. A spokesman for Cox did not immediately respond for comment on Wednesday’s order.
