Gov. Quinn Signs Congressional Map; GOP Hopes Court Reverses It

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says the congressional district map he's signed into law is fair and protects minority voters' rights.

Quinn signed the proposal to change district lines--required every 10 years after the Census--on Friday. He says taxpayers had input at public hearings on both state legislative and congressional maps, even though the final product for the U.S. House was voted on less than 24 hours after it was publicized.

Critics point to only one district among 18 where Latinos represent the majority even though the Hispanic population in Illinois grew 32.5 percent. Illinois is losing one seat in the House in 2013 because of nationwide population shifts.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady says the new congressional district lines are an attempt to "silence'' voters. Brady says voters sent a GOP majority to Congress just last fall. He says the map is unfair to Republicans. It lumps five GOP incumbents into districts where they'd have to run against other incumbents in 2012. Brady says Quinn "lost all claims to the label 'reformer' " by approving the map and says he hopes courts will overturn it.

He says the map was released on a Friday and approved on a holiday weekend to avoid public scrutiny.