Court Nixes Part of Texas Political Map

Associated Press ^ | 6/28/06 | Gina Holland

[jmranchman]

Court nixes part of Texas political map By GINA HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld most of the Republican-boosting Texas congressional map engineered by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay but threw out part, saying some of the new boundaries failed to protect minority voting rights.

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The fractured decision was a small victory for Democratic and minority groups who accused Republicans of an unconstitutional power grab in drawing boundaries that booted four Democratic incumbents from office.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060628/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_texas_redistricting

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for the majority, said Hispanics do not have a chance to elect a candidate of their choosing under the plan. The vote was 5-4 on that issue.

Republicans picked up six Texas congressional seats two years ago, and the court's ruling does not seriously threaten those gains. Lawmakers, however, will have to adjust boundary lines to address the court's concerns.

At issue was the shifting of 100,000 Hispanics out of a district represented by a Republican incumbent and into a new, oddly shaped district. Foes of the plan had argued that that was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander under the Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voting rights.

[jmranchman]

I love how the headline here is "Court Nixes Part of Texas Political Map", and talks about how this is a "small victory" for demoRats....the guys never cease to amaze.....jmr

[new yorker 77]

Gina Holland does not know what to do anymore.

[P-40]

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for the majority, said Hispanics do not have a chance to elect a candidate of their choosing under the plan.

In other words, a Democrat...and not the Hispanic Republican they elected.

[Red Badger]

ustice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for the majority, said Hispanics do not have a chance to elect a candidate of their choosing under the plan. The vote was 5-4 on that issue.

BS!.......

[mtbopfuyn]

Gina's not just a little biased, is she?

[weegee]

Failed to protect minority voting?

It ADDED two minority congressmen INCLUDING redistricting Chris Bell(D) into a predominantly black district.

The Democrat still won but he wasn't white and his name was not Chris Bell.

Chris Bell was the outgoing Congressman who leveled the ethics charge against Tom DeLay.

Is Chris Bell a racist? I don't know but I do know that after he loses the governor's race this fall, he'll be a 3 time loser (mayor, congress, governor).

[Gay State Conservative]

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for the majority, said Hispanics do not have a chance to elect a candidate of their choosing under the plan. The vote was 5-4 on that issue.

So,in other words,"Hispanics" aren't being allowed to vote,right? Apart from being able to vote (assuming they meet all Federal and state requirements) what right do "Hispanics" (or any other group) have to elect a candidate of their choosing?

Or are election quotas written into our Constitution?

[Wings-n-Wind]

COURT UPHOLDS MOST OF TEXAS MAP...

[sportscaster]

So in say 10 years when whites are the minority in border

states due to the hispanic invasion from mexico we can

expect the court to throw out districts where the white

minority has no chance to elect the person of their choice(?)

[MikeA]

Since when was American democracy about engineering things so minorities can win? Am I in America or some crazed Alice in Wonderland P.C. world of lunacy? If Hispanics can't win based on their ideas and ability to sell their candidacy, then why should the courts be the ones to force things? Why don't we just give up the idea of elected legislatures and just have the courts run everything? Sheesh...

[af_vet_rr]

new, oddly shaped district.

If they are referring to my district or one that borders it, that stretches down to Laredo from Central Texas or over to Houston, I want it redrawn. My interests are not the same as somebody in Laredo, and I doubt my neighbors a few blocks away share the same interests as somebody in Houston on s state level.

[MNJohnnie]

Freaking unbeliveable. The Dems lost EVERY one of their points. All the Judges did is require 1 district redrawn. On EVERY points the Democrats LOST

[bygolly]

Don't think you can redraw one district without redrawing other adjacent district(s).

[MNJohnnie]

Bygolly, you really do not know how this works do you? Yes, you can. Simply change the border line between the two districts in question. That the point. They drew one district weird to split the Hispanic vote. All they got to do is rearrange that line between the two Congressional districts to fit the Court's guidelines. On every other point you Democrats LOST.

[Quick Shot]

Speaking oddly shaped, think Florida's Corrine Brown. Her district includes the black neighborhoods of Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Spread over more than 250 miles of distance between the corners the state.

[Virginia Gentleman]

The ruling was a major victory for the Republicans, but the MSM can not bring themselves to report it as such. The main issue was the constitutionality of redistricting between censuses. The minority voting rights issue was a secondary point at best and involved just one district. So how does the MSM report the story? It leads with the minor issue and buries the main issue deep in the story. Just amazing.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

What about equality and blind justice? Special rights, of any kind, violate the very soul of the Constitution.

Also, is the VRA's renewal still stuck in Congress? If so, this could have an affect on the decision as well.

[neverdem]

"On a different matter, the court ruled 7-2 that state legislators may draw new maps as often as they like — not just once a decade as Texas Democrats claimed. That means Democratic and Republican state lawmakers can push through new maps anytime there is a power shift at a state capital."

IMHO, I think this is even more noteworthy. It has the potential to generate congressional redistricting every time a house in a state legislature changes control from dems to pubbies or vice versa. In states with the right of popular initiatives, that could lead to more states having non-partisan commissions drawing the maps of congressional districts and making many more of those districts up for grabs.

[Bommer]

The fractured decision was a small victory for Democratic and minority groups who accused Republicans of an unconstitutional power grab in drawing boundaries that booted four Democratic incumbents from office.

In defeat they seem to still win!

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Speaking oddly shaped, think Florida's Corrine Brown. Her district includes the black neighborhoods of Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Spread over more than 250 miles of distance between the corners the state.

And Gainesville. Someone once referred to the district (at least the 1990s version) as looking like a snake. I've thought of it as the Blackadder district ever since.

For all that, when a Republican runs against her, they usually get more than 40% of the vote.