After hours of debate, a citizens panel on Friday chose the firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to help draw new political boundaries in California despite concerns that one of its lead attorneys is too close to the Republican Party.
Gibson Dunn and Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni vied for the position of Voting Rights Act counsel to the Citizens Redistricting Commission. The 14-member commission, created by voter initiative, is charged with drawing new congressional and legislative districts based on numbers gleaned from the 2010 Census.
