Supreme Court throws out Texas electoral maps Favoring Minorities

[bobbyw24]

The Supreme Court on Friday set aside Texas redistricting plans drawn by a federal court that were favored by minorities and Democrats, and ordered the lower court to come up with new plans based more closely on maps drawn by the Texas legislature.

In an unsigned opinion that drew no dissents, the justices said a federal panel in San Antonio “exceeded its mission” in drawing interim plans for the state’s upcoming primaries. It said the court was wrong to believe its plans needed to be completely independent of the ones passed by the legislature.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-sides-with-texas-on-redistricting-plan/2012/01/20/gIQAzjBhDQ_story.html?hpid=z1

[Zap!]

Good.

[Zippyjuan]

Redistricting should not favor any group. They should be drawn only based on total population numbers and geography.

I like the way Iowa districts look- basically uniform in size and shape.
http://homepage.mac.com/jeffmorrison/maps/small/2011.png
http://homepage.mac.com/jeffmorrison/maps/congmaps.html

The rejected Texas map:
http://cdn.theatlanticwire.com/img/upload/2012/01/20/PLANC125_png_800x1000_q100_1/large.jpeg
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/01/texas-still-doesnt-know-its-congressional-districts/47663/

A Supreme Court decision today means that Texas still doesn't know the boundaries of its 36 congressional district, which is a bit of a problem since primaries for those congressional seats are only three months away. The case involved two sets of congressional maps: one drawn by the GOP-controlled Texas legislature (above), which favored Republicans, and the other later drawn by a court in San Antonio, which favored Democrats, according to The New York Times. Normally it's legislatures that redraw congressional districts after every Census, but the lower court in San Antonio decided to make its own interim map when another a special court in Washington "indicated that it is unlikely to approve at least some of the Legislature’s map," as it's required to do. "Texas Republican officials appealed to the Supreme Court, said the lower-court overstepped its authority and argued the judges should have deferred to the maps drawn by the elected lawmakers," reports Reuters.

But now, according to the Supreme Court's unanimous ruling, "the lower court had not paid enough deference to the Legislature’s choices and had improperly substituted its own values for those of elected officials," says The Times, and will have to redraw theirs based more off of the legislature's. Hanging in the balance nationally: which party will get Texas's four new congressional seats, due mostly to the state's growing Hispanic population, according to Reuters. Proving like textbooks did a year ago that what happens in Texas doesn't just stay in Texas.

[MsDoodahs]

Yay!

[TCE]

Redistricting should not favor any group. They should be drawn only based on total population numbers and geography.

I like the way Iowa districts look- basically uniform in size and shape.
http://homepage.mac.com/jeffmorrison/maps/small/2011.png
http://homepage.mac.com/jeffmorrison/maps/congmaps.html

The rejected Texas map:
http://cdn.theatlanticwire.com/img/upload/2012/01/20/PLANC125_png_800x1000_q100_1/large.jpeg
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/01/texas-still-doesnt-know-its-congressional-districts/47663/

Agreed. Look at the population numbers, divide them up evenly, number them, and move on.

[Brown Sapper]

On a side note: Bill Tofte is running for one of the seats opening from this redistricting. He is a Ron Paul Republican and was very active in the HALC (Houston's biggest Ron Paul meetup) in 2008. I really hope when all this redistricting is done he will be able to get in there and steal the seat.

http://www.tofte2012.com/