Update: New Minnesota district maps out at 1 p.m. Tuesday

ST. PAUL -- A five-judge Minnesota panel plans to release new congressional and legislative district maps at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The courts earlier had refused to announce a release date, but on Monday said the maps will be available at www.mncourts.gov under a "special redistricting panel" link.

Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea established the judicial panel last year in case the Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton did not agree on a redistricting plan. Republicans who controlled the Legislature passed a plan last year, which Dayton vetoed, and there has been no work on a new plan this year.

The courts say the Web site will include:

-- The panel's orders regarding redistricting.

-- Statewide and Twin Cities area congressional district maps.

-- Statewide and Twin Cities area legislative district maps.

-- Select maps of metro areas around Minnesota where it is impossible to discern the legislative districts from the statewide maps.

-- Various reports compatible with Maptitude software.

Within a week, reports also will be available in the State Law Library in St. Paul and each county law library.

Redistricting is required by two U.S. Supreme Court cases and a provision in the Minnesota Constitution that require elected officials' districts to contain the same number of people. New maps are drawn every 10 years following the national census.

Don Davis reports for Forum Communications Co.