“Americans are participating in redistricting like never before”
The Hill
This is true to my experience here in Pennsylvania as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council for the congressional redistricting process.
Category Archives: redistricting
“How two Ohio GOP lawmakers hijacked Ohio’s new redistricting process”
Cleveland.com:
Under the Ohio Constitution, all seven members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission are supposed to be on equal footing.But in reality, only two commissioners, who have a direct stake in what new state legislative maps look like, had… Continue reading
Supreme Court of Virginia Unanimously Tells Va Republicans to Pick Additional, More Neutral Redistricting Masters After State Commission Failed to Reach Agreement to Draw Maps
Democrats had proposed Cain, Grofman, or Persily and Republicans had proposed three Republican political operatives. The justices are supposed to pick one from each list for two masters to draw districts together.
The state supreme court told Va. Republicans to … Continue reading
“The Consequences of Redistricting Without a Safety Net”
Michael Barajas for the Texas Observer:
For decades, the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 sought to protect minority voters by forcing Texas and other states with a history of race-based voter suppression to clear changes to election laws,… Continue reading
“Gerrymandering surges as states redraw maps for House seats”
AP:
North Carolina’s plan drew instant criticism for its aggressive approach, but it’s hardly alone. Experts and lawmakers tracking the once-a-decade redistricting process see a cycle of supercharged gerrymandering. With fewer legal restraints and amped up political stakes, both… Continue reading
“Oregon lawmakers don’t have to follow redistricting law, can draw maps to favor individuals, Democratic lawmakers claim”
Oregon Live:
Oregon lawmakers do not have to follow a state law that prohibits drawing political maps to benefit a specific individual because as legislators they have authority to override that statute, according to a new court filing by lawyers… Continue reading
“How Michigan Republicans are trying to sway state’s independent redistricting process”
NBC News:
Michigan Republicans, blocked by voters from being directly involved in redrawing the state’s voting maps, launched a coordinated effort to influence the independent commission tasked with the job, an action documented in a series of recordings obtained… Continue reading
“It’s Time to Stop Gerrymandering Latinos out of Political Power”
Gabriella Limón for the Brennan Center:
The American population is becoming more Latino, and fast. Yet Latino communities across the country remain shut out of real political power, sidelined from representation by rigged districts expressly designed to suppress their… Continue reading
“Race-blind redistricting? Democrats incredulous at GOP maps”
AP:
A decade ago, North Carolina Republicans redrew their legislative districts to help their party in a way that a federal court ruled illegally deprived Black voters of their right to political representation. A state court later struck down Republican-drawn… Continue reading
Michigan: “Redistricting draft maps violate Voting Rights Act, civil rights director says”
Detroit News:
An independent redistricting commission’s draft maps violate the Voting Rights Act, Michigan Civil Rights Department Executive Director John Johnson Jr. said during a Wednesday hearing where most speakers said the proposals don’t give Detroit fair representation.The proposed… Continue reading
New at Slog Law Blog: “Watch State Supreme Courts on Partisan Gerrymandering & Hold Your Breath on Fed Courts”
I have written this post for the State and Local Government Law Blog. A taste:
But the same issue may resurface, with a more conservative Supreme Court majority, as to the power of state courts to apply state constitutions in… Continue reading
“The Decision That Could Doom Democrats for a Decade; They predicted that nonpartisan redistricting commissions would make elections more fair, but Republicans might reap the benefits.”
Russell Berman for The Atlantic:
To rid the country of partisan gerrymandering, Democrats for years joined with election reformers to take the responsibility for redistricting away from politicians and hand it to independent, nonpartisan commissions. The effort did not… Continue reading
“A Judge’s Guide to Redistricting”
Announcement via email:
The Princeton Gerrymandering Project and Electoral Innovation Lab have announced the publication of A Judge’s Guide to Redistricting. This Guide is designed to help state court judges handle inevitable litigation during this redistricting cycle, by providing… Continue reading
“Republicans sue to block Democrats’ ‘obvious, extreme, partisan gerrymander’ of Oregon congressional districts”
Oregon Live:
Four Republican former elected officials asked a court Monday to invalidate what they say is an “obvious, extreme, partisan gerrymander” of Oregon’s congressional district map.The quartet filed their suit exactly two weeks after Oregon’s House and… Continue reading