Category Archives: redistricting

“Meet the Dems’ chief weapon against remap reform: Michael Kasper”

September 25, 2016, 3:44 pmelection law biz, redistrictingRick Hasen

Crain’s Chicago Business: The go-to election lawyer for Mike Madigan and Rahm Emanuel is mildly horrified to hear some attorneys call him “the dean” of the election bar. The jolt comes during a rare interview with Michael Kasper, general… Continue reading

“Campaign Legal Center and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice File Lawsuit Over North Carolina’s Partisan Gerrymandered Congressional Districts”

September 22, 2016, 11:41 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Release: The Campaign Legal Center and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice filed a complaint today on behalf of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and numerous individual voters, arguing that North Carolina’s 2016 congressional redistricting plan… Continue reading

First Circuit, Relying on Evenwel, Rejects “Prison Gerrymandering” Claim

September 21, 2016, 3:47 pmfelon voting, redistrictingRick Hasen

You can find the unanimous 1st Circuit opinion at this link. Here is a statement from Demos. From the opinion: It is true that Evenwel did not decide the precise question before us. Nevertheless, we hold that its methodology … Continue reading

“Evenwel v. Abbott: Recent Developments at SCOTUS and Implications for Redistricting”

September 19, 2016, 9:18 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Upcoming CLE program with Jessica Ring Amunson.

Three Judge Court Dismisses Maryland Legislative Gerrymander Case on Procedural Grounds

September 8, 2016, 7:37 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

You can find the unanimous opinion, finding that the plaintiff, representing himself was precluded from suing on a gerrymander because he brought an earlier suit before the election, here.

“A Broken Winged Pterodactyl Walks Into the Supreme Court: A Look at Next Term’s Redistricting Cases”

September 7, 2016, 8:43 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Nate Persily and I were interviewed for this Bloomberg BNA podcast.

“Election Reform Groups Urge Justices to Tackle Partisan Gerrymanders”

August 31, 2016, 7:57 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NLJ’s Marcia Coyle for the Supreme Court Brief: The lawyers in all three cases have been in close coordination, said Mayer Brown’s Kimberly. If a decision is announced in the Wisconsin case by mid-September, he said, there will sufficient… Continue reading

“Texas Will Hold Another Election Without a Ruling on Redistricting”

August 30, 2016, 9:11 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

KUT: A legal battle over some of the state’s political districts still isn’t over. About half a decade ago, a group of Texas voters sued the state claiming the legislature’s 2011 redistricting maps discriminated against minorities. About two years ago,… Continue reading

“Illinois redistricting referendum won’t appear on ballot”

August 25, 2016, 8:43 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

AP: A divided Illinois Supreme Court narrowly ruled Thursday that a voter referendum seeking to change how Illinois draws political boundaries is unconstitutional, making it ineligible to appear on the November ballot. The high court, in a 4-3 decision, affirmed… Continue reading

“Opinion: Three ways Congress can muscle-up to your voting rights”

August 22, 2016, 7:27 amcampaign finance, redistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Michael Golden and Larry Lessig in the Chicago Sun-Times: Fortunately, some in Congress are working toward a solution. Just before the national conventions, the House Democratic leadership announced its “By The People” (BTP) legislative package. These reforms, backed by 187… Continue reading

“Should it be legal to have a congressional district only one party can win?”

August 15, 2016, 9:48 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

David Savage of the LAT reports on partisan gerrymandering cases working their way to #SCOTUS.

Breaking: 3-Judge Court Unanimously Rules NC State Districts Unconstitutional Racial Gerrymander

August 11, 2016, 11:44 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

A unanimous 3-judge court (including the district court judge who recently upheld North Carolina’s strict voting law) has held in a 167-page opinion that challenged North Carolina legislative districts are unconstitutional racial gerrymanders and need to be redrawn. This ruling… Continue reading

“Quick and Dirty: The New Misreading of the Voting Rights Act”

August 11, 2016, 7:29 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

The final version of Justin Levitt’s must read piece on the relationship between the VRA’s districting requirements and racial gerrymandering claims is now out from the FSU Law Review and available at SSRN. It is just in time as the… Continue reading

“Make Democracy Count: The Harmful Impact of Partisan Gerrymandering on Voters and Our Democracy”

August 10, 2016, 8:24 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Release: The Campaign Legal Center, which is litigating the landmark case Whitford v. Gill to end partisan gerrymandering, today released a report, Make Democracy Count: Ending Partisan Gerrymandering. The report highlights the impact partisan gerrymandering, or the drawing… Continue reading