Category Archives: redistricting

“The Supreme Court may just have given voting rights activists a powerful new tool”

May 22, 2017, 6:49 pmredistricting, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I have written this oped for the Washington Post. It begins: Sometimes the most important stuff in Supreme Court opinions is hidden in the footnotes. In Monday’s Supreme Court ruling striking down two North Carolina congressional districts as unconstitutionally influenced… Continue reading

Another Explanation for Justice Thomas’s Joining of Racial Gerrymandering Majority Opinion

May 22, 2017, 6:44 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I’ve already opined on what might have motivated Justice Thomas (and Justice Kennedy) so side how they did today. An ELB reader passes along these additional thoughts about Justice Thomas and what comes next: I’ve always been struck by Justice… Continue reading

“Supreme Court Upholds Rejection Of North Carolina Congressional Districts”

May 22, 2017, 3:14 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Nina Totenberg reports for NPR.

We May Soon Get a Hint on What the Supreme Court Thinks of Wisconsin Partisan Gerrymandering Case

May 22, 2017, 3:05 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, comes this stay application in the Wisconsin partisan gerrymandering case (Gill v. Whitford). The state wants the Supreme Court to put on hold a requirement that Wisconsin state legislative districts by November 1. The Supreme… Continue reading

Partisan Gerrymandering Case Status

May 22, 2017, 2:00 pmpolitical parties, redistrictingJustin Levitt

The Court’s decision this morning in the North Carolina redistricting case addressed allegations of predominant and unjustified racial intent. The state attempted to defend its actions, in part, by saying that it was just acting for partisan reasons. The legal… Continue reading

Justice Kagan Gained Justice Thomas in NC Racial Gerrymandering Case; How Did She Lose Justice Kennedy?

May 22, 2017, 12:20 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I’ve noted how interesting and mysterious it is that Justice Thomas signed onto Justice Kagan’s opinion in today’s racial gerrymandering case. Given Justice Thomas’s views on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and his view of the clearly erroneous… Continue reading

NC redistricting, from someone not named Rick

May 22, 2017, 11:44 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActJustin Levitt

Rick Hasen and Rick Pildes have already weighed in on the NC redistricting case this morning. I agree with much of the Ricks’ analysis, and their assessment that this was utimately a win for voting rights plaintiffs. But I have… Continue reading

Breaking and Analysis: Supreme Court on 5-3 Vote Affirms NC Racial Gerrymandering Case, with Thomas in Majority and Roberts in Dissent

May 22, 2017, 7:06 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

The Supreme Court has issued this 5-3 opinion in Cooper v. Harris. Justice Kagan wrote the opinion for the Court, with Justice Thomas making the fifth vote for affirmance. Chief Justice Robert and Justices Alito and Kennedy dissented. That is… Continue reading

“Status Check: Where Voting Rights Cases Stand With The Supreme Court”

May 21, 2017, 9:52 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

NPR Weekend Edition: The high Court decided not to hear a case on North Carolina’s restrictive voting law. But other cases are moving forward. NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Richard Hasen, law professor at UC Irvine.

“New Report: Extreme Partisan Maps Account for 16-17 Republican Seats in Congress”

May 16, 2017, 7:15 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Release: The 2018 midterms will be fiercely fought, with a focus on control of the U.S. House after years of Republican dominance. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely hear a challenge to partisan gerrymandering in Gill… Continue reading

“When Does Political Gerrymandering Cross a Constitutional Line?”

May 15, 2017, 9:54 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

New Adam Liptak NYT Sidebar column: The Supreme Court has never struck down an election map on the ground that it was drawn to make sure one political party would win an outsize number of seats. But it has… Continue reading

“Maryland Democrats’ faux redistricting reform”

May 14, 2017, 4:21 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

WaPo editorial: WITH ITS preposterously gerrymandered congressional voting districts, Maryland is an outstanding example of why states need nonpartisan redistricting reform. But the redistricting bill that emerged this year in Annapolis — in equal parts cynical and ludicrous — makes… Continue reading

Harvard Law Review Write-Up of Whitford v. Gill

May 10, 2017, 7:49 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Read it here.

“U.S. Census director resigns amid turmoil over funding of 2020 count”

May 9, 2017, 8:23 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

WaPo: The director of the U.S. Census Bureau is resigning, leaving the agency leaderless at a time when it faces a crisis over funding for the 2020 decennial count of the U.S. population and beyond. John H. Thompson, who has… Continue reading