Fed. court orders redistricting documents public

MADISON (AP) -- A federal court in Milwaukee has issued another scathing order against Republican lawmakers, forcing them to make public emails and other documents related to redistricting that they wanted to keep secret.

The order issued Thursday is in line with three previous orders that found the documents produced by the Legislature are not protected by attorney-client privilege. The three-judge panel for the eastern district federal court says the documents involve advice on political, not legal, strategy and therefore are not protected.

The judges say Republican lawmakers made a "poorly disguised'' attempt to "cloak the private machinations of Wisconsin's Republican legislators in the shroud of attorney-client
privilege.'' The judges called it a "shameful attempt to hide the redistricting process from public scrutiny.''

A trial in the case is scheduled to begin Tuesday.