FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentucky Senate President David Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo have authorized the payment of $19,000 in public funds to cover the legal fees associated with defending the state’s redistricting plan in court.
Louisville attorney Sheryl Snyder charged the state a reduced rate of $125 an hour and sent the invoice by e-mail Wednesday night.
Stumbo says payment of the invoice did not require a vote by the full Legislative Research Commission because he and Williams were the ones who hired Snyder for the case.
“When an attorney’s services are needed, and particularly an attorney on a very specified field, a very narrow field of law that only a few may be qualified to address, the Commission needs the ability to move rather rapidly to retain those services.”
Earlier this year several House Republicans and Democratic Senator Kathy Stein of Lexington challenged the constitutionality of the new district boundaries, and the Kentucky Supreme Court threw out the plan. The General Assembly will revisit the issue during the next legislative session.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers who filed suit have said they do not plan to use public money to cover their legal fees.
