Category Archives: redistricting

“If I Win My District, I’ll Get Rid of It”

October 25, 2018, 1:29 pmredistricting, UncategorizedRichard Pildes

I’m often asked why it makes any difference whether election districts keep towns and counties together, or are reasonably compact. This amusing op-ed, from the Democratic candidate running for a New York Assembly district that contains pieces of seven… Continue reading

Michigan: “Conservative group spending $1.2M to defeat Proposal 2 redistricting commission”

October 23, 2018, 4:14 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Detroit News: A conservative group with ties to the powerful DeVos family of West Michigan is pumping at least $1.2 million into an effort to fight a ballot measure for an independent redistricting commission. The spending by the Michigan Freedom… Continue reading

“The Next Threat to Redistricting Reform”

October 22, 2018, 7:29 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I have written this piece for the Harvard Law Review Blog. It begins: These are perilous times even for those who think that federal courts have no business messing with how state legislatures draw lines for legislative and congressional districts… Continue reading

Upcoming So Cal Connected Episode on KCET Will Focus on Southern California Gerrymandering

October 19, 2018, 6:17 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Looking forward to watching this Release: “SOCAL CONNECTED, KCET’s Emmy® and Peabody® award-winning news documentary series for Southern Californians will premiere a new episode titled “Divide and Conquer” on Tues., Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. PT on KCET in Southern… Continue reading

“Kavanaugh, Court Could Bury Partisan Gerrymandering Challenges”

October 18, 2018, 3:20 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Kimberly Robinson for Bloomberg Law.

Federal Court Appoints UCI Prof. Bernie Grofman to Redraw Virginia House Districts

October 18, 2018, 2:29 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Federal court appoints UC Irvine Prof Bernie Grofman as special master to assist court in redrawing Virginia house of delegates map. Order here: https://t.co/UChOmzvJlf #fairmaps 1/ pic.twitter.com/WHUaIuGcS6 — Michael Li 李之樸 (@mcpli) October 18, 2018

“A plea to end all partisan gerrymandering challenges”

October 3, 2018, 4:33 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Lyle Denniston: Reopening a deeply divisive controversy that has troubled the Supreme Court for 32 years, four state legislators from North Carolina have urged the Justices to bar all constitutional challenges to partisan gerrymandering. The decades-long search for a way… Continue reading

Michigan: “GOP pressure shaped state’s district maps, court records show”

October 3, 2018, 7:50 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Detroit News: Republican mapmakers who drew Michigan’s current political districts were pressured to appease lawmakers and made changes to help gain legislative approval, according to documents and depositions in a federal lawsuit. The documents show mapmakers in 2011 gave top… Continue reading

Today’s Must Watch: Gerrymander Jewelry Ad

October 2, 2018, 7:29 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Too funny:

“J.H. Snider: Jury, not judges, should pick redistricting plan”

September 30, 2018, 5:38 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Oped in the News & Record.

“Political Fairness in Redistricting: What Wisconsin’s Experience Teaches”

September 27, 2018, 5:11 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Judge Lynn Adelman has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming University of Memphis Law Review). Here is the abstract: In this paper, to be presented at an election law forum sponsored by the Memphis Law Review and published in a… Continue reading

“Drawing the Line on Gerrymandering: Where Do the Courts Go From Here?”

September 25, 2018, 2:00 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

I’m very much looking forward to participating in this Federal Bar Association lunchtime event in Riverside, California with Doug Johnson on October 23. Link with RSVP info.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Claims She Faced “Bullying” Over Her Vote to Keep Redistricting Measure on Ballot

September 25, 2018, 7:18 amjudicial elections, redistrictingRick Hasen

Unusual story in the Detroit News: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement said she faced “bullying and intimidation” while deliberating a case that paved the way for a redistricting proposal to go on the November ballot. Clement, a Gov. Rick… Continue reading

“‘Race-blind’ Va. political map offered to replace one deemed racial gerrymander”

September 19, 2018, 11:53 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

WaPo: “With a court-ordered deadline looming Oct. 30, Republican leaders of the House of Delegates on Tuesday backed a ‘politically neutral, race-blind remedial redistricting map’ that they said would satisfy the court while causing minimal disruption to existing legislative district… Continue reading