Eric McGhee has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: There has been a recent surge in work on measuring partisan bias in single-member (SMD) redistricting plans. A classic SMD gerrymander is “efficient”: it “cracks” a party’s supporters … Continue reading
Category Archives: redistricting
The New Yorker reports. … Continue reading
First entries from: Amy Howe (explainer). Thomas Wolf. … Continue reading
Bernie Grofman and German Feierherd for the Monkey Cage. … Continue reading
News & Observer: North Carolina Republicans have begun to release details of their schedule for drawing new boundaries to correct legislative districts found unconstitutional by the federal courts. But they have not presented any maps to the public yet. The … Continue reading
Read it here. … Continue reading
Mike Parsons has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: For voters hoping the Supreme Court’s 2017 Term brings relief from partisan gerrymandering, the end of the 2016 Term was inauspicious. In Cooper v. Harris, the majority assumed … Continue reading
The following is a guest post from Greg Warrington and Jeff Buzas, which may be relevant to the upcoming Supreme Court partisan gerrymandering case: I am grateful to Rick Hasen for the opportunity to post here about my recent preprint … Continue reading
Justin Levitt has written this piece for the William and Mary redistricting symposium. Here is the abstract: When the Supreme Court last seriously grappled with partisan gerrymandering, all nine Justices concluded that too much partisanship in the redistricting process violates … Continue reading
You can find the court’s unanimous 11-page opinion here. It is clear that the judges (1) think the NCGA dragged its feet repeatedly but (2) it is too late for 2017 special elections. The delay worked in the state’s favor … Continue reading
Interesting oped in the Wash. Examiner. … Continue reading
News & Observer editorial: The worst-kept secret on Jones Street is that Republicans probably have maps for new legislative districts in a locked drawer somewhere. This, while they’re pretending, in court hearings, to be worried about having enough time to … Continue reading
Read it here. … Continue reading
News & Observer: Federal judges had pointed questions and comments Thursday for the lawyer representing North Carolina lawmakers who have not yet complied with the panel’s order to draw new districts for electing General Assembly members. The judges want the … Continue reading
Jacob Eisler has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Catholic Law Review). Here is the abstract: Partisan gerrymandering is frequently condemned for distorting democracy and causing unfair representation, and many reformers have called upon federal courts to prohibit the practice. However, … Continue reading
Important piece at the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online by Wendy Tam Cho on the “efficiency gap,” at the centerpiece of the Wisconsin redistricting case. It begins: The efficiency gap has recently been touted as a general partisan fairness … Continue reading
Christian Century editorial. … Continue reading
News and Observer: Republican leaders have tapped a familiar consultant to help with the drawing of new districts for electing General Assembly members after maps he drew six years ago were found by the federal courts to include illegal racial … Continue reading
Madison.com: By most accounts, the 2011 and 2012 gubernatorial and Senate recall elections were a complete disaster for Wisconsin Democrats. Gov. Scott Walker’s historic victory boosted his fundraising and re-election prospects. The recall petition became a litmus test for party … Continue reading
AP: The boundaries of election districts in a southeastern Utah county are unconstitutional and violate the rights of American Indians who make up roughly half the county’s population, a federal judge has ruled for the second time. San Juan County, … Continue reading
HuffPost: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says a case dealing with how far political parties can go to draw election districts to their benefit might be the “most important” the court will hear next term. Ginsburg made the comments at a Duke Law School event Friday … Continue reading
Wow. … Continue reading
Steve Mazie for the Economist on Gil v. Whitford. … Continue reading
The U Chicago Law Review has posted Ned’s Due Process, Fair Play, and Excessive Partisanship: A New Principle for Judicial Review of Election Laws. This is one of Ned’s most significant pieces tying together historical research, jurisprudence, and judicial precedent in an effort … Continue reading
Nick Stephanopoulos for Vox. … Continue reading
Texas Tribune on the latest trial, starting today, in the never-ending Texas redistricting case. … Continue reading
Times Union: “It’s a place for patronage and to allow the respective houses to stay on top of demographic changes,” Dadey said. “They can know which seats to protect or where there are new opportunities.” Indeed, the minority parties have … Continue reading
Great NYT oped: Next term the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Wisconsin’s election maps that could lead to a precedent-setting ruling against partisan gerrymandering — the problematic process whereby incumbents draw legislative boundaries to help their fellow partisans. But … Continue reading
Michael Li: On July 10, a three-judge panel in Texas begins a week-long trial over the state’s congressional and state house plans. Here’s what you need to know. … Continue reading
Listen. … Continue reading
I have written this piece for the Washington Post’s PostEverything. It begins: When it comes to assuring fair elections, the Supreme Court has a new message: Voters can wait. Its recently completed term featured two key redistricting votes in which … Continue reading
Goldfeder and Perez in NYLJ. … Continue reading
News & Observer: A proposal to redraw North Carolina’s court districts has emerged in the final days of the General Assembly’s session. A state House judiciary committee considered proposed maps for Superior Court and District Court judges and district attorneys … Continue reading
Extensive AP analysis using the efficiency gap: The AP scrutinized the outcomes of all 435 U.S. House races and about 4,700 state House and Assembly seats up for election last year using a new statistical method of calculating partisan advantage. … Continue reading
Dave Daley in The Atlantic: New court depositions and previously unseen emails uncover just how determined Maryland Democrats were to take a seat from the Republicans and knock 10-term veteran Roscoe Bartlett—an idiosyncratic conservative who after losing his seat retired … Continue reading
Eric (“Efficiency Gap”) McGhee and Boris Shor have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Party polarization is perhaps the most significant political trend of the past several decades of American politics. Many observers have pinned hopes on … Continue reading
Chuck Lane WaPo column. … Continue reading
Bloomberg View editorial. … Continue reading
Steve Mazie for The Economist. … Continue reading
NYT: California is the largest of a handful of states that are trying to minimize the partisanship in the almost invariably political act of drawing district lines. California has handed that task to the independent and politically balanced California Citizens … Continue reading
Lyle Denniston: Although the court did not explain its willingness to schedule a hearing at the same time that it voted to block the lower court ruling in the meantime, its actions on Monday were not favorable to the challengers … Continue reading
Vox on McGhee/Stephanopoulos’s efficiency gap. … Continue reading
Here’s a radio interview I did with Texas Standard.(corrected link) … Continue reading
Listen with hosts June Grasso and Greg Stohr. … Continue reading
In addition to my piece in The Atlantic (Justice Kennedy’s Beauty Pageant) on the Supreme Court’s decision to hear Gill v. Whitford, here’s more coverage/analysis: Adam Liptak-NYT Bob Barnes-WaPo David Savage-LAT AP Greg Stohr-Bloomberg Pete Williams-NBC Patrick Marley-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Rich … Continue reading
I have written this piece for The Atlantic on today’s decision to hear the Wisconsin partisan gerrymandering claim. It begins: The partisan gerrymandering beauty pageant is returning to the Supreme Court next fall for a limited engagement for an audience … Continue reading
[UPDATE: About an hour after the Court issued its order agreeing to hear this case, it issued a second order, on a 5-4 vote, granting a stay of the lower court order in this case. The four liberal Justices dissented. … Continue reading
As early as Monday morning, the Court may announce whether it will hear the appeal in Gill v. Whitford, concerning the constitutional challenge to Wisconsin legislative districting as a partisan gerrymander. I’ll be writing more if/when the Court grants a … Continue reading
This afternoon without comment the Supreme Court denied a motion to have the mandate of the Covington case issued immediately. What this means in non-technical terms is that the challengers wanted the case immediately returned to the three-judge court to … Continue reading
Read the compliant, backed by Arnold & Porter. … Continue reading