Evenwel May Just Be an Awful Can of Worms

By EditorJan 30, 2016

Victoria Bassetti, writing for Brennan Center in this article titled "Supreme Court Redistricting Case Is New Front in Voting Wars," speaks eloquently about the dangerous thinking behind the Evenwel case now before the U.S. Supreme Court. If the powers that be actually have a choice on what population base to use when redistricting, won't politics come in to play? Read the article here.

Redistricting, Redistricting LitigationEvenwel, one person one vote, Supreme Court

Supreme Ct Preview: Persily Amicus Brief on the One Person One Vote Requirement

By EditorNov 13, 2015

In this latest Supreme Court case Evenwel v. Abbott, exploring the claim that political redistricting should focus on balancing the number of eligible voters in the population across districts as opposed to total population, several amicus briefs have been submitted by interested parties. None other than Nathaniel Persily; Stanford Law professor and a sought after expert on redistricting has submitted this brief along with several other equally accomplished colleagues in the voting/redistricting field: Bernard Grofman, Stephen Ansolabehere, Charles Stewart III, and Bruce Cain. Oral argument is scheduled for December 8th. (more…)

Casedocs, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigationamicus brief, Ansolabehere, Evenwel, Grofman, lawid, one person one vote, Persily, Supreme Court

Redistricting Population Controversy: Pits Rural Against Urban

By EditorNov 12, 2015

Vice President of litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Nina Perales writes this article in the Washington Post's "In Theory" series urging the Supreme Court to maintain total population as an acceptable standard for drawing political districts. (more…)

Redistricting, Redistricting LitigationEvenwel, one person one vote, Supreme Court

Redistricting Population Controversy: A Demographer’s View

By EditorNov 03, 2015

Demographer and redistricting consultant Peter A. Morrison writes this article in the Washington Post's "In Theory" segment urging the Supreme Court to require political districts be drawn so that "eligible voters" are equally distributed across them as opposed to the general population. (more…)

Redistricting, Redistricting LitigationEvenwel, one person one vote, Supreme Court

One Person?/Voter?/Citizen? One Vote

By EditorOct 06, 2015

Does the constitution guarantee every person the right to an equally weighted vote? or just to eligible voters? or perhaps just citizens? (more…)

Redistricting, Redistricting LitigationEvenwel, lawid, Supreme Court, Texas

Supreme Court Declines Review of North Carolina Voting Laws

By EditorApr 08, 2015

North Carolina: The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a request to review of the legality of North Carolina’s new voting identification laws and other restrictions on voting intended to curb voter fraud. Read more in the Hill here.

RedistrictingNC, North Carolina, northcarolina, Supreme Court, voter ID

Supreme Court May Resurrect Alabama Legislative Black Caucus’ Equal Population Claims

By EditorMar 02, 2015

The Alabama Legislative Black Caucus' Supreme Court Case was late last year, and focused on whether that state's 2012 legislative redistricting plan was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Interestingly, there was a second question presented in the case at the district court level: "whether the 2012 redistricting plans allocate control of local delegations in a manner which violates Equal Protection, effectively denying county residents equal voting rights." This "second" question is actually an equal population challenge, and is based on the redistricting maps' gratuitous breaching of county jurisdiction lines. In Alabama, it is local state legislative delegations that have most of…

Casedocs, Equal Protection, FEATURES, POLICY and PRACTICE, Redistricting Gerrymanders, Redistricting LitigationAlabama, lpequalpro, States, Supreme Court