(Rep.) Judge rejects NC Legislature's redrawn House-Senate maps

The News & Observer ^ | Friday, May 31, 2002 3:20PM EDT | SCOTT MOONEYHAM

[jern]

Judge rejects Legislature's redrawn House-Senate maps

By SCOTT MOONEYHAM ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

SMITHFIELD, N.C. (AP) -- Superior Court Judge Knox Jenkins rejected the Legislature's redrawn district maps for the state House and Senate on Friday, making his own wholesale changes to the Senate plan.

The maps he approved in his order largely adopted Senate districts advocated by Republicans, who had challenged districts that were drawn last year and approved by the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

He also ordered five changes affecting the House plan revised this month by the Legislature. The most significant change would move Rep. David Redwine, the Democrat in charge of the House budget-writing committee, into a largely Republican district in coastal areas of Brunswick and New Hanover counties.

Jenkins' order offered no explanation for why he rejected the maps, which had been redrawn at the direction of the state Supreme Court.

"I'm fully aware that the judgment I'm about to sign, the order I'm about to sign, will not satisfy either party. That fact might well add some credibility to the order," Jenkins said.

Jenkins' order is the result of a lawsuit brought by Republican lawmakers who claimed Democratic legislative leaders improperly split counties to gain a political advantage.

Last month, the state Supreme Court also sided with the Republicans, finding that the districts approved last year violated a constitutional provision by dividing more counties than necessary. The court ordered lawmakers to redraw the maps, and left it to Jenkins to determine whether they had complied with the order.

"Our map beat their map in every aspect of the law," said Senate Republican leader Patrick Ballantine. "Our map was better than theirs. The Supreme Court called for strict compliance with their order, and we were in strict compliance."

In a hearing last week before Jenkins, lawyers for the state argued that the Legislature met the Supreme Court's requirements by rewriting the maps to split fewer counties.

The redrawn Senate plan contained districts that cross 15 county lines. The House map had districts that cross 43 county borders. The previous Senate plan split 50 counties, while the House map divided 71.

Republican lawyers countered that the districts still were not compact and that Democratic legislators did not follow the grouping criteria set by the Supreme Court.

The case has led to an indefinite delay in primary elections, which had been set for May 7.

[billbears]

ping!!

[Constitution Day]

ALL RIGHT!!!!!!

[Deport Billary]

I'm curious to see whether the propellor blade districts are gone.

[Deport Billary]

Because I'm in one of them

[Constitution Day]

NC jumping-for-joy PING!

[jern]

- Proposed House Plan - Sutton 5 -

"Proposed House Plan - Sutton 5" was made public on May 17, 2002 by House Legislative Redistricting Committee co-chair Representative Ronnie Sutton. It was passed by the House and Senate and ratified on May 17, 2002. It became SL 2002-1 on May 20, 2002. A House Districts Correction bill was passed on May 21, 2002, changing Districts 8 and 23 to correct the inadvertent misplacement of Edgecombe County Precinct 3-1. See Senate Bill 3 for the bill text of the correction bill.

[jern]

- Proposed Senate Plan - Fewer Divided Counties -

"Proposed Senate Plan - Fewer Divided Counties" was made public on May 17, 2002 by Senate Legislative Redistricting Committee co-chair Senator Brad Miller. It was passed by the Senate and House and ratified on May 17, 2002. It became SL 2002-1 on May 20, 2002. See House Bill 4 for the complete list of geographic units contained in each district. .

[southernnorthcarolina]

I'm surprised to hear there are "wholesale changes" in the Senate map, but only five changes in the House map. I had thought that the Senate map was much closer to meeting the requirements set by the judge.

In any event, great news. I'm most anxious to see the Judge's map. Perhaps they'll be up on the General Assembly website soon.

[jern]

Please note those are the proposed maps, not the new ones

[snopercod]

So when do we get to vote?

[southernnorthcarolina]

New Senate plan by Judge Jenkins:

[Constitution Day]

Good question... I don't know, though. 8-(

[southernnorthcarolina]

New House plan by Judge Jenkins:

[Constitution Day]

If I'm looking at that map correctly, it appears that the areas most carved-up are around Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte.

[snopercod]

Interesting. Your link was to a .png file (whatever the heck that is), which my older Netscape browser doesn't recognize. I can't view it.

[Constitution Day]

Your link was to a .png file

The "png" stands for Portable Network Graphics, and I think it's a fairly new format.

[southernnorthcarolina]

I'm curious to see whether the propellor blade districts are gone.

They're not, it least insofar as the house districts linking Anson with Montgomery, and Richmond with northern Stanly are concerned. I'm surprised that wasn't cleaned up, but I suspect it has to do with the creation of an additional minority district (a policy which is abhorrant to me, as it's nothing but racism pure and simple, but which actually benefits Republicans).

[southernnorthcarolina]

Bummer. Here's a link to the General Assembly web site, but you'll probably run into the same problem. Worth a shot, though.

[blackbag]

Thanks for the ping. I am hopeing Jenkins plan is an improvement. The senate plan is pretty clean. It appears the split up house plan still groups minority districts. Curious if this is a benefit to the minority community. Their was a time when the R's and the Minoritiy districts were aligned to correct the maps.