Lansing — Republican mapmakers made a concerted effort to protect U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg from challengers in 2012, according to new emails disclosed in a federal lawsuit alleging GOP gerrymandering.

With the case heading to trial Tuesday, plaintiffs are asking the three-judge panel overseeing the case to admit into evidence a trove of new documents obtained last week when the federal court waived “privilege” for information related to weekly GOP redistricting meetings held at a Lansing law firm.

In a June 2011 email, congressional mapmaker Jeff Timmer forwarded an email to then-Gov. Rick Snyder’s deputy legal counsel David Murley describing how proposed changes to Walberg’s district would affect the 3rd District seat held by fellow GOP Rep. Justin Amash.

“No question the new (3rd) district is a bit less GOP, but not so much that it is in jeopardy of going south on us,” Timmer wrote. “It was intended that the new 3rd would become slightly less Republican in order for the Walberg seat to become slightly more so.”

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/02/04/emails-gop-redistricting-mapmakers-protecting-walberg/2766683002/