Laying the Ground Work for Success in Redistricting Litigation

From 2001 – 2009, Lisa Hauser was co-counsel for the inaugural Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission in defending multiple challenges to the new legislative and congressional districts. These cases were significant due to their statewide importance, complexity and the massive record created by the Commission (resulting in more than 5,000 trial exhibits). Most importantly, Arizona’s constitutional provisions governing redistricting were interpreted by the courts for the first time. Through pretrial motions, six weeks of trial, multiple trips to the Arizona Court of Appeals, the Arizona Supreme Court, and federal court, Lisa and her team led the Commission to victory against half a dozen opposing parties. These victories are reported in nine published decisions. These triumphs were due to more than Lisa’s skill as a trial attorney and appellate advocate. From the moment she was hired by the Commission in 2001, she was tasked with interpreting the new constitutional provisions governing the redistricting process and advising the Commission accordingly. By anticipating a myriad of legal issues and giving sound advice, her client prevailed in the litigation that inevitably follows redistricting.