California Redistricting Commission Gets Confirmation it Can Use Early Census “Legacy Format” Data

By EditorMar 29, 2021

In a letter to the state's independent redistricting commission, Karin Mac Donald, the director of the California Statewide Database program, (SWDB) confirmed that the SWDB has the technical capabilities to process the legacy format files that the U.S. Census Bureau plans to release ahead of the final redistricting data files scheduled to be released by Sept 30. According to the Census Bureau, the data contained in the legacy file and the final file will be identical. Earlier this month, the bureau indicated that despite the six-month delay in delivering redistricting data to the states, it would be possible to release…

Census Data and Geography, DATA and TECHNOLOGY, NEWS, RedistrictingCalifornia, dataindepth, STATENEWS

Update: Alabama Court Grants 3-Judge Panel in Census Lawsuit

By EditorMar 29, 2021

An Alabama federal district court granted a Mar 8 request for a 3-judge panel by plaintiffs to consider the differential privacy claims raised in a lawsuit filed by the state of Alabama against the U.S. Census Bureau. Federal statute allows a plaintiff to request a 3-judge panel to consider any case involving the use of any statistical method used in the decennial U.S. census in possible violation of the Constitution or other provision of law. This development ensures a fast-track to the U.S. Supreme Court should one of the parties appeal the panel's decision. Read the court's order. In granting…

Case Updates, Casedocs, LAW, NEWS, RedistrictingAlabama

Update: Minnesota Court Issues Order to Appoint Special Redistricting Panel if Legislature Fails to Redistrict

By EditorMar 29, 2021

On March 22, the Minnesota Supreme Court granted the plaintiff's request in Wattson v. Simon to appoint a special redistricting panel for redistricting in the state in anticipation of the legislature failing to enact maps in time for upcoming elections. Read the original complaint. Read the court's order. Learn more. While the court agreed to appoint a panel at some point in the future, it delayed doing so and stayed all further proceedings until the legislature has had time to enact maps. This year's regular session of the Minnesota legislature is scheduled to end in late May. The court also…

Case Updates, Casedocs, NEWS, RedistrictingMinnesota

Ohio’s Lawsuit Over Census Data Delay is Dismissed by Federal Court

By EditorMar 24, 2021

Earlier today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio denied Ohio's request to the court for an order compelling the U.S. Census Bureau to deliver redistricting data to the state by the statutory deadline of March 31. Ultimately the court denied the request for a preliminary injunction for lack of standing because the Census Bureau's failure to meet its deadline in and of itself does not constitute a redressable injury, explaining that "A litigant is not concretely injured and standing is not met simply because a statute creates a legal obligation that goes unfulfilled." In an opinion…

Case Updates, Census Data and Geography, Census Law, LATEST, LAW, NEWS, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigationlawindepth, lpother, Ohio, STATENEWS

Pomona, CA Seeks Residents to Serve on its Independent Redistricting Commission

By EditorMar 23, 2021

Pomona, California is seeking 7 residents to serve as commissioners on an independent redistricting panel. Review the requirements here. Pomona City Council Seeks Pomona Residents Interested in Serving on the:Independent Redistricting CommissionPOMONA, CA (March 22, 2021) – If you have a strong interest in the community andyou have the ability to give generously of your time, why not apply to serve on theIndependent Redistricting Commission. Commissioners have an opportunity to makea difference in the community by providing recommendations to the City Council.Commissioners serve on a volunteer basis and are appointed by the City Council.Anyone who is a resident of Pomona…

Local Redistricting, NEWS, RedistrictingCalifornia, local redistricting, Pomona, STATENEWS

A Proposal for a Nevada Independent Redistricting Commission May be Headed for the Ballot. Again

By EditorMar 22, 2021

In Nevada last Wednesday a proposed constitutional amendment was introduced in the legislature that would establish a seven-member independent redistricting commission to draw the state's congressional and state legislative districts. The amendment, if adopted would prohibit partisan line-drawing and require competitive districts. The senate and house minority and majority leaders would appoint four commission members and those four would appoint the remaining three members, who must be unaffiliated voters or from a third political party. The joint resolution would still need to be approved in two consecutive sessions of the legislature and by a majority of voters. In 2011 a…

NEWS, Official Redistricting Entities, Redistricting, Redistricting CommissionsNevada, STATENEWS

Michigan Redistricting Commission Approves 16 Public Hearing Sites

By EditorMar 18, 2021

Press Release (Mar 17, 2021): The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) has approved 16 public hearing sites to solicit input from Michigan residents about the redistricting process for congressional, state senate, and state house districts. Before drawing any lines, the MICRC is required to hold at least 10 public hearings. Per the Michigan Constitution, the purposes for the public hearings are to: Inform the public about the redistricting process.Share the purpose and responsibilities of the Commission.Solicit information from the public about potential redistricting plans for U.S. Congressional, Michigan House, and Michigan Senate districts. The public hearings are tentatively scheduled…

NEWS, Official Redistricting Entities, Redistricting, Redistricting CommissionsMichigan, STATENEWS

Florida: Review of Litigation in the 2010 Redistricting Cycle

By EditorMar 15, 2021

Florida’s litigation in the 2010 cycle focused primarily on the “Fair Districts Amendments” added to the state constitution by initiative in 2010. There were two nearly identical amendments: one setting standards applicable to congressional districts (art. III, § 20), and the other setting standards applicable to state legislative districts (art. III, § 21). The amendments spawned a flood of litigation challenging the amendments themselves, plans adopted under the new standards, and—in the process—plaintiffs’ attempts to determine the intent of the legislators who adopted the plans.. The new constitutional standards are set out in two tiers. The first-tier standards have equal…

NEWS, Redistricting, Redistricting LitigationFlorida

West Virginia: Review of Litigation in the 2010 Redistricting Cycle

By EditorMar 12, 2021

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision and upheld West Virginia's 2011 congressional map with population deviations between districts of .79 percent. Tennant v. Jefferson County, No. 11-1184, 567 U.S. 758 (Sep. 25, 2012) The Jefferson County Commission and residents of Jefferson County alleged that West Virginia’s 2011 congressional plan violated the “one-person, one-vote” principle of Article I, § 2, of the U.S. Constitution. West Virginia created a redistricting plan that had a maximum population deviation of 0.79 percent (the variance between the smallest and largest districts). The State conceded that it could have made a plan with less deviation,…

NEWS, Redistricting Litigation, State LawsWest Virginia

Wisconsin Lawsuit Challenges Legislatures’ Move to Retain Law Firms for Future Redistricting Challenges

By EditorMar 11, 2021

In most states, post-redistricting litigation is a foregone conclusion. In anticipation of just that, the Majority Leader of the Wisconsin Senate and the Speaker of the House entered into contracts for legal services with two law firms on behalf of the legislature in preparation for inevitable legal challenges after maps are enacted. On Wednesday, a group of citizens sued on behalf of taxpayers to void those contracts as unauthorized expenditures of public funds. At issue is a state statute that allows the speaker and majority leader to obtain legal counsel other than from the Wisconsin department of justice, with the…

Case Updates, NEWS, Redistricting LitigationSTATENEWS, Wisconsin