Free Republic

Democrats in the Illinois state legislature released their proposed new congressional district maps, which place Republican Adam Kinzinger in a Democratic district and force him to run in 2022 against an incumbent who is likely to defeat him. Kinzinger, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump who is also an enthusiastic member of the January 6 commission, might have expected Democrats to reward his service to their cause by preserving his far suburban Chicago district, the 16th.

In a much-awaited decision, the Supreme Court held on Thursday in a 5-4 decision that partisan gerrymandering is a political question beyond the reach of the federal courts. This should come as no surprise, since it’s the same conclusion the court reached the last time this issue was before it in 2004 in a case out of Pennsylvania, Vieth v. Jubelirer. This time, plaintiffs in both Maryland and North Carolina challenged congressional redistricting maps, claiming they discriminated against Republicans in Maryland and Democrats in North Carolina. They argued that such partisan redistricting (i.e. engaging in politics when drawing legislative district...

<p>The two-party gerrymander imposed by our Legislature in 2001 is absolute proof that our elected officials are out of touch with the people. The arena, said Theodore Roosevelt, is where politics is played out. The arenas in California are the districts for state Senate, Assembly, Board of Equalization and U.S. House of Representatives. These are where our modern-day politicians have rigged the game in their own favor and cut the voters out.</p>