Julie Vandermost, Petitioner v. Debra Bowen, as Secretary of State

Summary

The court held that it could entertain the original writ proceeding and decide the interim redistricting question before the referendum had qualified because the matter presented an urgent, statewide electoral issue and was sufficiently ripe. If the referendum qualified and stayed the Commission-certified Senate map, the court directed election officials to continue using that map for the 2012 primary and general elections because it best complied with the constitutional redistricting criteria and was superior to the proposed alternatives. Justice Liu, concurring, agreed with using the Commission map but would have given greater limiting force to the constitutional "likely to qualify" requirement.