Federal Court: North Carolina Congressional Districts Illegal Partisan Gerrymander

Federal Court: North Carolina Congressional Districts Illegal Partisan Gerrymander

By EditorJan 14, 2018
North Carolina - On January 9th, a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina ruled that the state's 2016 Plan violates the Equal Protection Clause, the First Amendment, and Article I of the Constitution.  Survey the news coverage. (more…)
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Supreme Court Orders Stay in North Carolina Redistricting Case

Supreme Court Orders Stay in North Carolina Redistricting Case

By EditorJan 11, 2017
Washington DC - The full text of the order is below:   TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017 ORDER IN PENDING CASE 16A646 NORTH CAROLINA, ET AL. V. SANDRA LITTLE COVINGTON, ET AL. The application for stay of the order of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, case No. 1:15-CV-399, entered on November 29, 2016, presented to The Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is granted, pending the timely filing of a statement as to jurisdiction. Should such statement be timely filed, this order shall remain in effect pending this Court’s action on…
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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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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.    
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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…
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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.      
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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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Court Rules 28 of 170 N.C. Legislative Districts are Racial Gerrymanders

Court Rules 28 of 170 N.C. Legislative Districts are Racial Gerrymanders

By EditorAug 16, 2016
North Carolina - Last Thursday, a three-judge U.S. District Court panel ruled that 28 of the Republican-drawn districts for the N.C. legislature were indeed unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. The Republican practice of making "safe" minority districts even "safer" to comply with the Voting Rights Act was completely disavowed by the court.  In short, the Voting Rights Act does not mandate districts in which minorities are already successful at electing their preferred candidates, to be packed with even more minority voters - something that North Carolina insisted was the case. The districts will stand for the 2016 election however.  The court has ordered a…
Race in Redistricting, Racial Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race Rules, , , ,
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Fourth Circuit: N.C. Voter ID Law Targets Blacks with “Surgical Precision”

Fourth Circuit: N.C. Voter ID Law Targets Blacks with “Surgical Precision”

By EditorAug 01, 2016
North Carolina - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit has overturned the lower court ruling that had upheld North Carolina's comprehensive voter identification requirements.  The panel commented that this law targeted African-American voters with "surgical precision." http://www.nbcnews.com/widget/video-embed/735007299516 Read the court opinion here. Read more in the Washington Post. Read more in the New York Times.
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