Boston’s new political map looks most likely to stand, leaving the city on schedule for its elections this fall, after the attorneys who sued to block an earlier set of the boundaries indicated Thursday that they are “unlikely” to try to obstruct the latest attempt.
“We don’t want to blow this up,” Glen Hannington, an attorney for the residents and neighborhood groups that sued last year, said in a phone interview after a status conference in the federal lawsuit. While such a challenge was not “off the table,” Hannington said, “I do think that this is going to come to its conclusion.”
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After US District Judge Patti Saris ruled last month that the Boston City Council had likely used race in an improper manner in drawing its new district boundaries, the council had to scramble to redraw the map of City Council districts in time to keep this fall’s municipal elections on schedule. Councilors voted 10-2 last month to approve the new map after a rushed, contentious process.
But uncertainty lingered over whether that new version might also face legal challenges, after the plaintiffs who had blocked the earlier version expressed concerns and asked Saris to review the new effort for “constitutional sufficiency.”
In a Zoom status conference Thursday afternoon, Saris said she had observed the council’s latest redistricting process and judged that it “was much more governed by the traditional principles” than last fall’s effort. The election is also looming, she noted, making any further litigation over the map tricky.
As far as the plaintiffs’ request that she review the new district boundaries, Saris said, “I need some clarity.” If their side wants to block the new map, they need to ask formally, she said.
“Unless it’s teed up correctly,” she told them, “I have nothing on the table in front of me.”
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Attorneys on both sides of the case said they would meet early next week with the goal of reaching a resolution soon. Hannington said his side would ask the city for attorneys’ fees in the six-figure range.
Jennifer Miller, an attorney for the city, urged a speedy resolution to the case. She said election officials have only until July 21 to finalize ballots and send them to the printer for September’s preliminary election.
Agreement over the new map would resolve a long-running legal and legislative battle. A divided council spent many bitter weeks debating an earlier version of the map last fall, only to be forced to repeat the process in May in the wake of the federal court ruling. And since the judge ruled in early May, this fall’s elections have been cast into question.
With the final district boundaries uncertain, it was unclear which districts some council candidates even lived in, complicating the work of election officials and political operatives alike.
“It’s important to bring some closure to this and rebuild some trust,” Saris said, “and just move forward in the democratic process.”
Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmaplatoff.