TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) -The Florida Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in on the legality of a redistricting proposal that would amend the state constitution.

Attorney General Bill McCollum asked the high court Thursday to issue an advisory opinion on the plan that calls for legislative districts to be "contiguous," and "unless otherwise required" to be compact, equal in population and follow natural borders, as much as feasible.

Tallahassee-based FairDistrictsFlorida.org is seeking to establish standards for state lawmakers to follow in the once every ten years redistricting process.

Through a proposed ballot measure, the group says it wants to prevent redistricting plans from being drawn "to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party."

In the brief McCallum filed, he wrote that language in the proposed amendment that would require legislative districts to "consist of contiguous territory," conflicts with Florida's existing multi-member districts that are not contiguous.

McCollum, a Republican, said the proposed language might also violate state law that requires language in a proposed amendment to be clear to avoid confusing and misleading voters so they "can cast an intelligent and informed ballot."

Specifically, he is asking the justices whether the petition violates the single subject rule for proposed constitutional amendments.

The attorney general wrote that because by requiring contiguous territory it brings up a second subject by inference because existing multi-member districts aren't contiguous.

From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Lin Young at linyoung10@gmail.com.