Weekly Redistricting Update

By EditorNov 17, 2015

Florida: State Legislature Cries "Uncle," Gives Up On a Legislative District Map Last week the Florida Legislature ended its second special redistricting session without a map for state senate districts. Senate leaders are throwing the issue back to the court, and have proposed that the court have a special master draw the map. This "proposal" reflects many senators' disapproval of the court's handling of the congressional map redraw, which invited parties to the litigation to propose maps instead of having a more neutral party redraw the lines. A court hearing is schedule for December 14th. Virginia: Supreme Court Will…

RedistrictingFlorida, Texas, texas redistricting, Virginia

Bernard Grofman Selected by Virginia Court to Redraw Congressional Map

By EditorSep 28, 2015

Richmond, VA: Dr. Bernard Grofman, an economics and political science professor at the University of California, Irvine has been selected by a federal district court panel in Virginia as the expert line drawer for the states' embattled congressional map. (more…)

Redistrictingcongressional, Virginia

A Fight Over Transparency in the Virginia Congressional District Court Case

By EditorSep 22, 2015

Richmond Va: The fight over Virginia's 3rd congressional district continues as the various defendants in the case petitioned the District Court to allow the various maps proposed to the court be posted online. The court has already determined that the 3rd district enacted by the Richmond legislature and governor in 2012 improperly diluted minority voter influence in the surrounding districts by concentrating into the 3rd district. The three-judge panel has given parties to the case until October 2 to submit briefs commenting on the 8 proposed maps submitted by various parties to the litigation and other interested members of the…

Redistricting LitigationRichmond, Virginia

Virginia House Committee Tables Redistricting Reform Bill

By EditorFeb 20, 2015

Richmond- A bill that would require Virginia legislators to redistrict without using political data was stuck down in a House subcommittee Thursday. Senate Bill 840, which passed the Va. senate unanimously, was tabled in the Elections subcommittee of the House Committee on Privileges and Elections. Read more here.

Uncategorizedreform, Virginia

Quarterly Redistricting Update: January 2015

By EditorFeb 16, 2015

Arizona October 2014- The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Arizona State Legislature’s case against the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission - formed in 2000 when voters approved Proposition 106. This proposition amended the state constitution to assign the redistricting function to a 5 member body. The seminal question in this case is whether the U.S. Constitution’s Elections Clause allows the redistricting task to be delegated away from the legislature. As simple a question as that may seem, there are several other preliminary issues of law that could keep the high court from ever answering the question. There are issues of standing, justiciability…

UncategorizedArizona, Florida, Virginia, Yakima Washington