Judicial panel to consider Missouri redistricting

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri citizens are being invited to make suggestions on how to draw new borders for the state's legislative districts.

A commission of six appeals court judges has taken over the redistricting of the state House and Senate, after a bipartisan panel was unable to reach agreement on the new maps earlier this year.

The judicial panel will accept public testimony today at the Kirkpatrick State Office Building in Jefferson City.

Borders of the 163 House and 34 Senate districts are adjusted every 10 years to reflect changes in population. The 2010 census showed southwestern Missouri and the outer St. Louis suburbs among the state's fastest-growing regions. St. Louis County the city of St. Louis both lost population since 2000.