Category Archives: redistricting

“GOP suit: Florida redistricting law equals ‘thought policing'”

August 5, 2015, 12:17 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Politico on a strange claim: Two Florida Republican Party officials have filed a federal lawsuit to block the state’s anti-gerrymandering constitutional clauses, arguing the provisions limit First Amendment speech and amount to “thought policing.” The lawsuit, filed Tuesday night in… Continue reading

“Election Law’s Path in the Roberts Court’s First Decade: A Sharp Right Turn But with Speed Bumps and Surprising Twists”

August 5, 2015, 6:25 amcampaign finance, election administration, political parties, redistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I have posted this draft on SSRN. It is still an early draft. Comments welcome! Here is the abstract: The first decade of election law cases at the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice Roberts brought election law… Continue reading

What in the World is Happening in the Texas Redistricting Case?

August 3, 2015, 11:50 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Still pending, and we are getting close to the 2016 election season…. Perhaps the case will be resolved before the 2020 round of redistricting.

“Symposium: Evenwel v. Abbott and the Constitution’s big data problem”

August 3, 2015, 7:40 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Nate Persily’s contribution to SCOTUSBlog’s Evenwel v. Abbott symposium: These points concerning the inaccuracy and variability of the potential alternative data sources for redistricting will likely receive less attention in Evenwel than familiar constitutional arguments concerning the proper interpretation of… Continue reading

“When Not All Votes Were Equal The U.S. Supreme Court reconsiders how legislative districts are drawn—and risks sending the country back to a time before ‘one person, one vote.'”

August 2, 2015, 8:49 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

J. Douglas Smith, author of On Democracy’s Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought ‘One Person, One Vote’ to the United States, has written this piece on Evenwel in the Altantic. He concludes: Until the Supreme… Continue reading

“Rulings spark hopes for fairer districts”

August 2, 2015, 8:18 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Herald Tribune: Since 2008, Florida has exhibited the political equivalent of a split personality, with a Democratic president twice winning the state even as Republicans racked up large majorities in the Legislature and congressional delegation. Among the explanations for… Continue reading

Read the Brief for Appellants in the Evenwel One Person, One Vote Case

August 1, 2015, 7:01 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Here.

“Symposium: Ideology, partisanship, and the new ‘one person, one vote’ case”

July 31, 2015, 8:59 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I have written this contribution to SCOTUSBlog’s symposium on Evenwel v. Abbott. It begins: It is tempting to think of the plaintiffs in Evenwel v. Abbott as conservatives. After all, the brainchildbehind this new “one person, one vote” lawsuit,… Continue reading

Justice Ginsburg Speaks on Citizens United, Arizona Redistricting

July 30, 2015, 7:15 amcampaign finance, Elections Clause, redistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The Justice spoke at Duke. She said this about Citizens United (via Adam Liptak): The court’s worst blunder, she said, was its 2010 decision in Citizens United “because of what has happened to elections in the United States and… Continue reading

“Va. Republicans reject McAuliffe’s request for redistricting meeting”

July 29, 2015, 8:15 amredistrictingRick Hasen

WaPo: Republican leaders of Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday rebuffed an effort by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to strike a deal on the state’s congressional elections map before a court-imposed deadline.

Ilya Shapiro on Evenwel

July 28, 2015, 9:07 pmredistricting, Supreme Court, votingRick Hasen

Here, at the SCOTUSBlog symposium. My submission to the symposium should post Friday.

“Florida Senate Admits Partisan Redistricting Violated State Constitution; Major Victory in National Drive for Fair Districts”

July 28, 2015, 5:35 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Release: The Florida Senate agreed with Common Cause and the League of Women Voters of Florida today that the Senate violated state constitutional anti-gerrymandering standards when it drew its 2012 district maps.

“Legislature sets special session for October to redraw Florida Senate districts”

July 28, 2015, 1:53 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Miami Herald: The Florida Legislature has set yet another special session, this time for October to redraw the Florida Senate district lines that opponents had argued violated the state constitution prohibition on gerrymandering to favor or disfavor politicians. The… Continue reading