Supreme Court Rules On Redistricting genre: Polispeak & Six Degrees of Speculation

The long awaited decision of the Supreme Court with regards to the Texas redistricting efforts led by Tom DeLay may help Democrats in one district, although that remains uncertain until the new district mapping is completed. On the whole, the ruling seems to open the possibility that other state legisaltures may attempt to redraw districts outside of the previous guidelines that coordinated with the ten year time frame for the U.S. Census. The decision may make redistricting efforts an increasingly partisan undertaking and it may happen far more frequently. Read the full article here.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld most of the pro-Republican Texas congressional map engineered by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and freed all states to draw new political boundaries as often as they want.

The ruling did not make clear whether or not lower courts or the state would have to change congressional district boundaries before the November elections.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for a 5-4 majority, said Hispanics do not have a chance to elect a candidate of their choosing in south and west Texas under the state's plan.

The court ruled 7-2 that state legislators may draw new congressional maps anytime — not just once a decade as Texas Democrats had claimed and has been traditional nationwide. That means any state's lawmakers can push through new maps anytime there is a power shift in the Legislature.

Kennedy's decision did not specify how quickly the lines of District 23 must be redrawn, but he said that more than one district would be affected.

"The districts in south and west Texas will have to be redrawn to remedy the violation in District 23, and we have no cause to pass on the legitimacy of a district that must be changed," he wrote.

Daniel DiRito | June 28, 2006 | 12:07 PM
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