Texas Three-Judge Court Cites “Voluminous” Record as Reason Why it Will Take Its Sweet Time on Texas Redistricting

Texas Three-Judge Court Cites “Voluminous” Record as Reason Why it Will Take Its Sweet Time on Texas Redistricting

By EditorJan 08, 2017
San Antonio, Texas - Its the biggest, most watched redistricting litigation of the decade; but the Texas redistricting case(s) began in 2011 and no ruling has been forthcoming by the federal district court panel tasked to resolve it.  Plaintiff's recently filed a request for the court to make a final decision and the court responded this week with an epic list of just how in the weeds they are with the paperwork.  The judges wrote: "The Court continues to diligently work through this voluminous record and the complex legal questions presented in this case and will issue an opinion as…
Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, Redistricting Race Rules,
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Chief Justice Roberts Requests Response in NC Racial Gerrymandering Case

Chief Justice Roberts Requests Response in NC Racial Gerrymandering Case

By EditorJan 08, 2017
North Carolina - A three-judge federal appeals court panel ruled that 28 state legislative districts in North Carolina's 2010 redistricting map were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders that diluted the votes of black and Hispanic voters.  The state has appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the lower federal court has already given an order to the North Carolina legislature to start on and finalize a new map for special state elections later in 2017. The Republican-dominated legislature would rather wait and see what the Supreme Court has to say, especially since a newly elected Democratic governor is waiting in the wings.  This…
NEWS, Race in Redistricting, Racial Gerrymandering, Redistricting Gerrymanders, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race Rules, , ,
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Texas Federal Court Imposes Preclearance on City of Pasadena

Texas Federal Court Imposes Preclearance on City of Pasadena

By EditorJan 08, 2017
Pasadena, Texas - The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in this ruling invalidated the city's move from an eight-member district redistricting map to a mixed map of six single member districts and two at-large seats for electing its city council.  The court's finding of minority vote dilution (of Hispanic voters) under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act includes an order to subject the city to preclearance requirements, which would mean election officials must clear any future redistricting changes to the Justice Department for approval.  Read the initial case filing by plaintiffs here. There were several…
Local Redistricting, NEWS, Race in Redistricting, Redistricting, Redistricting Race Rules, Voting Rights Act, , , , ,
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Cumulative Voting for School Board Ordered By Federal Court in Missouri

Cumulative Voting for School Board Ordered By Federal Court in Missouri

By EditorDec 07, 2016
Missouri - Late last month a federal district court ended a two year challenge to the Ferguson-Florissant School District's use of at-large elections for its seven member school board.  The court ruled in August, that at-large elections for board members did violate section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.  The court's order requires the school district to use a cumulative voting system with staggered terms and off-cycle elections, preceded by a voter education program, much like the one described in the cumulative voting educational video below. https://youtu.be/L-n_D16bchM  
Redistricting, Redistricting Race Rules, , , , , ,
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NPR and Scotusblog Recap Oral Arguments in Racial Gerrymandering Case

NPR and Scotusblog Recap Oral Arguments in Racial Gerrymandering Case

By EditorDec 06, 2016
Wash. DC - NPR's Nina Totenberg recaps Supreme Court oral arguments in , Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections and McCrory v. Harris;  the racial gerrymandering claims arising from the Virginia state legislative and the North Carolina congressional map, which were heard on Monday.  Click below for audio. Read Scotusblog's analysis here.    
NEWS, Race in Redistricting, Racial Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, Redistricting Race Rules, , , , , , , ,
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Duke University Team Dabbles with Its Own Algorithm for Measuring Partisan Gerrymandering

Duke University Team Dabbles with Its Own Algorithm for Measuring Partisan Gerrymandering

By EditorDec 06, 2016
North Carolina - It isn't Efficiency Gap Analysis, but a team of mathematicians at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy have applied its own model (Markov Chain Monte Carlo method) to measuring the extent of partisan gerrymanders.  The algorithm produces maps with districts that have proven to be comparably more competitive than the actual districts established by states.  This does not appear to be anything new however, since computer modeled redistricting has been around for quite sometime.  The groups methodology explanation does not indicate how its model is superior to other algorithms. Read the article in GovTech.com. The group…
Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, , , ,
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NPR Talks with Law Profs About Racial Gerrymandering in the Supreme Court

NPR Talks with Law Profs About Racial Gerrymandering in the Supreme Court

By EditorDec 06, 2016
Wash. DC - NPR's Nina Totenberg discusses the North Carolina racial gerrymandering claim to be heard today before the U.S. Supreme Court.  Totenberg chats with Stanford law professor Nathaniel Persily and Richard Hasen of University of California Irvine about the two congressional districts in dispute and how the court has dealt with similar claims in the past. Click below.      
Racial Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, , , , , , ,
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Packing Minorities Into Districts. When Is That Ever Okay?

Packing Minorities Into Districts. When Is That Ever Okay?

By EditorDec 05, 2016
Washington DC - The Supreme Court will tackle that question today as it hears oral arguments in two redistricting cases.  Both cases are alleged racial gerrymander claims; one orginating from Virginia's state legislative map and the other from North Carolina's congressional district map.  (more…)
Race in Redistricting, Racial Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race Rules, Voting Rights Act, , , , , , , , , ,
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