RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Democratic Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is asking the U.S. Supreme Court not to put a new congressional map for the state on hold and allow the 2016 elections to proceed under the new boundaries. A three-judge panel earlier this month ordered the state to impose a new redistricting plan crafted by a court-appointed expert. The panel had previously ruled that lawmakers in 2012 illegally packed black voters into the 3rd Congressional District, represented by Democrat Bobby Scott, to make surrounding districts safer for GOP incumbents. The new map could help Democrats win the 4th Congressional District, represented by Republican Rep. Randy Forbes. The state’s Republican members of Congress have asked the Supreme Court to hold off implementation of the new map. The court likely will hear arguments in March.
