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.

[Verginius Rufus]

Anthony Kennedy is on the Court only because the senator from Chappaquiddick succeeded in preventing Robert Bork's confirmation.

[af_vet_rr]

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.

Mine is longer than that. To say I was unahppy with what the GOP did with my district is an understatement, and a democrat still won it with a 2-to-1 margin. Thanks GOP, you screw up my district and still saddle me with a democrat. Way to go guys.



Texas District 25

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

No, the problem is that the Laredo-El Paso District in question intersects with the 25th that runs from Laredo to Austin. Lloyd Doggett who represents the 25th is the most liberal member of the Texas Delegation and will now have a safe district in Austin and one Dem seat will be added in South Texas.

Net Gain for Dems 1

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

The 25th is a Joke and is run by the Liberal Establishment in Austin.

[TexasPatriot8]

Yeah such a bias headline. I mean, most of it was upheld as legal by the court, and all the important parts of it are still law. If this is a victory for the democrats, then they've forgotten what a real win is. The decision upholds redistricting and there will not be fewer Republicans in the election. That's the important bottom line.

And more important still, this proves that Tom DeLay did nothing illegal in this regard either. More evidence that Tom DeLay was run out of office for no reason, other than the fact he's a hard line conservative that won't compromise on his beliefs. Though he didn't really get run out, he was an honorable man who fell on his sword so he wouldn't be a lightning rod for liberal radicals against the conservative movement nation wide. In every way he is more honorable and dignified than any democrat. Even though he broke no law, he left for the good of the party and his beliefs. Whereas democrats stay even after being accused and indicted, like Patrick Kennedy, Rostenkowski, Clinton (both of them), William Jefferson, Pelosi, and Reid, and they only leave office when they're voted out, like Gary Condit or are drug to jail by law enforcement after conviction, like Trafficant and Marion Barry. THIS is the real culture of corruption, the democrat liberal one.

[TexasPatriot8]

And how many of those Hispanics that aren't allowed to vote under this redistricting, are illegal immigrants? They can vote. Just because they vote and their democrats don't win doesn't mean they can't vote. And to be factual, the Hispanic block is a growing Conservative block. That's why the democrats are so against immigration reform or border security because they need illegally voting illegal Hispanice to off set the growing numbers of conservative minded Hispanics that vote each year. And when you point out to a practicing Christian hispanic, the DNC plank and how anti Christian and anti-moral it is, most Hispanics stop voting democrat, and didn't know those specifics before. That's what's really going on.

[af_vet_rr]

The 25th is a Joke and is run by the Liberal Establishment in Austin.

Tell that to the Republicans that drew it up, especially those Republicans who didn't think Doggett stood a chance. I know more than one Republican who voted against the Republican candidate simply because they were pissed at how the district was drawn (and I'm not talking about myself).

[TexasPatriot8]

If we all pray and hope really hard, Stevens or Ginsburg will have to retire for health reasons soon, maybe even before the election, but at least in the next two and a half years. If we're REALLY blessed it will be before November. That would drive MANY more conservatives to the polls, because most Americans are sick, of liberal activist judges and courts, and conservatives would vote in EXTREMELY high numbers to get as many conservatives elected as possible, to help ensure that good strict Constructionist Judges like Pryor or Jones or ones like them get the nomination. That's what most Americans want, and once someone like them, in the mold of Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito get on the court, replacing Stevens and eventually Ginsburg, the 9th circus court and other lib slanting courts will be marginalized and be puppet courts, because the Supreme Court will be strongly Constructionist conservative majority, 6 against 2 liberals (Bryer and Suiter) and one moderate (Kennedy), and that will cement the Judicial system as being bound to the Constitution and law, not judicial activism and we will never have to fear for radical courts legislating from the bench, like has been the case for years, and it will cease being a substitute legislative branch for the Democrats. THAT is the big thing to hope and pray for right now.

[justanotherfreeper]

I'd be very interested in your take on this case.

[Congressman Billybob]

I haven't read all the decisions yet, but I followed the case as it went up to the Supreme Court. Bottom line, this is a general win for the Texas plan, with a minor glitch involving 100,000 mostly Hispanic voters in a single district. The main thing of interest to me is WHY the Court ruled the redistricting generally constitutional.

I expect on reading the decisions that I'll find that the press, as usual, has butchered the story. I doubt that the Court upheld the right of any state to redistrict its legislature repeatedly and at will.

More likely, the Court upheld this particular redistricting because the Constitution requires the legislatures to do this once in ten years. And I expect to find the Court saying that the "first redistricting" did not meet the constitutional definition since it was done by a court, rather than by the legislature, as required in the Constitution.

If the decision says what I think it will on this point, this does NOT amount to a license for all states to redraw their legislative districts repeatedly and at will.

P.S. Interested in a Freeper in Congress? Keep in touch with me.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article: "Tribal Loyalties and Public Lies"

[goldstategop]

Anthony Kennedy is for apartheid... for minorities. But that's the blinkered racism of today's Democrats.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[justanotherfreeper]

Thanks, I didn't understand the legislature v. court aspectof the case -- it really makes it a different animal. As always you illuminate the darkness that is Reuters and AP.

[Uncle Hal]

The bias it that article is unbelievable. The MSM cannot write an article praising the GOP or one indicating a GOP win if there life depended on it.

[engrpat]

"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

IMHO this could well turn out to be the most important part of the decision. This could well turn states into battle grounds every two years and causing even more dissension between the two major parties. I see nothing but trouble in this one.

[old republic]

The SCOTUS has no business involving itself in a political question, especially one that is not even a federal issue. Redistricting is a state power. The Equal Protection clause is a weak argument for interfering as well. Afterall, you can use that argument to say that a redistricting map that doesn't give democrats a majority isn't protecting them. Because of Redistricting's very nature, someone always gets the shaft. Thats why its a political question and not a matter that the courts should resolve.

[IVote2]

I'd be very interested in your opinion of the ruling. I hope I catch it when you post.

I'm also looking forward to the day you are in Congress. :)

Jen

[Verginius Rufus]

I haven't read Anthony Kennedy's opinion in the case, but his reasoning seems to be far removed from John Marshall Harlan's famous dissent in Plessy vs. Ferguson ("the Constitution is color-blind").

The 'Rats were loudly playing the race card to capitalize on the one detail where they won--they didn't point out that the incumbent Congressman from that district is Hispanic (but he's a Republican so he doesn't count). Not only are minorities entitled to safe districts where one of their race will win, but the winner must be a Democrat for the result to be valid.

[Congressman Billybob]

Thank you for your vote of confidence. I've already posted by initial opinion on this case, which was a fine win for the Republicans. I'll post again after I have read all the opinions in the case.

P.S. Interested in a Freeper in Congress? Keep in touch with me.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article: "Tribal Loyalties and Public Lies"

[af_vet_rr]

If the decision says what I think it will on this point, this does NOT amount to a license for all states to redraw their legislative districts repeatedly and at will.

Let's hope it doesn't, because the moment the democrats get a chance, they will redraw the districts, and redistricting will become an even more powerful political tool.

[bygolly]

"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."

Maybe you should read what you just wrote! The USSC ruling was regarding one new district drawn for Bonilla. You rearrange the line between two districts, you change two districts. I thought that would be obvious...obviously not!