Doggett’s district could be sticking point in redistricting case

[sonias]

AAS 2/13/12

AG: Doggett’s district could be sticking point in redistricting case

(snip)
From the perspective of the Austin Democrat, one of the casualties of the GOP-controlled Legislature’s map is his Congressional District 25. The Legislature’s map would make CD 25 a Republican district, one Doggett said he couldn’t win, and one that would push him to run in the proposed CD 35, which is based in Bexar County and stretches up Interstate 35 to Austin.

Lawyers representing Travis County and other attorneys working for a major Latino rights groups have said that District 25 deserves to be protected as a “coalition district” - one in which Latinos and African-Americans vote together to elect the candidate of their choice: Doggett.

Abbott, however, doesn’t see it that way at all.
(snip)

And to that end, Abbott concluded that he “cannot compromise on this district.”

They just can't stand Doggett or Travis county. Those puny little republican minds can't handle Lloyd. They would rather die in a fire together than compromise on just that one district.

Those bastards did the same thing the last time they re-re-redistricted Travis county. Cowards! Lloyd you're just too powerful for them. They can't vote you out so they keep trying to gerrymander you out. Huge fraidy cat cowards!

Fuck'em!!

[sonias]

1. Settlement status according to the State of Texas

Texas Redistricting blog 2/13/12

Settlement status according to the State of Texas

The State of Texas told the San Antonio court in an advisory this afternoon that the principal roadblock - in the state’s view - on the congressional map was CD-25, the district currently represented by Lloyd Doggett.

The state said it “cannot compromise on this district” since its view is that coalition districts cannot be included in any court-drawn plan. In a separate filing, a number of redistricting plaintiffs strongly contested that view, drawing a distinction between drawing new coalition districts and preserving existing ones - explaining that the D.C. court “has already rejected Texas’s argument about the legal significance of crossover and coalition districts.”

The state also told the court that some of the redistricting plaintiffs had proposed changes to CD-23 and CD-33, which the state said “if they do not materially alter the compromise already reached [ ] should be something that can be accommodated.”

Abbott lying through his teeth again.

[Gman]

2. I hope those LULAC et al back up Doggett

And not throw him under the bus if it comes down to what ethnicity represents that district. I'm highly extremely suspicious right now.

The LULAC lead attorney is the same idiot that sued the TDP and won alleging discrimination over how delegates are selected at the state convention.

[sonias]

10. Right now NAACP is backing Doggett's district for sure

I'm with you on suspicion for the Latino groups settling. They were fine with CD35 which would probably be won by Castro. To be fair that is what they are supposed to be fighting for - more Latino districts. It's just sad to see us divided and conquered. Instead of working together all the way to the end so that all of us win together.

Texas Redistricting blog 2/13/12
NAACP offers two settlement proposals on congressional map

Both maps would maintain CD-25 in the form adopted in the court-drawn interim map (Plan C220).

In addition, both maps would retain CD-33 in Tarrant County and one of the maps (Plan C233) would transform CD-24 into a Dallas-based district that would be 51.9% Hispanic by voting age population and 66.1% Hispanic + African-American.

Thank you NAACP!!!

[sonias]

3. Redistricting: lost in legal limbo

San Antonio Express-News 2/11/12
Redistricting: lost in legal limbo
(snip)
“Lloyd Doggett has been a thorn in their side for years and years,” said Harold Cook, a longtime Democratic consultant. “He is their one piece of unfinished business from 2003.”

Republicans tried again in 2011. The maps passed by the Legislature carved Austin into five different congressional districts, drawing Doggett into a heavily Hispanic district that stretched from San Antonio to Austin.

(snip)
However, delays in the preclearance trial in Washington forced the San Antonio court to draw a set of interim maps in an attempt to preserve the March 6 primary.

That congressional map restored much of Doggett's old district, icing the primary fight — but the U.S. Supreme Court then threw out the interim maps.

Doggett said he has continued to campaign in San Antonio, in case “the Perrymandered map” becomes law.
The entire process, he said, has been “really outrageous.”

I love Lloyd Doggett and he's my Congressman. I hope we get to keep him. Hang in there Lloyd!

Lloyd!

[Melissa G]

5. Travis County deserves representation!

Last edited Mon Feb 13, 2012, 11:48 PM - Edit history (1)

If Travis stays intact or is even just even cut in half, Lloyd will be reelected. Everyone knows this including Abbott. Those republican gerrymanders are just trying to disenfranchise us.

I am Latina and live in Travis county and I want Lloyd!
Lloyd!

[Gothmog]

4. Texas Democratic Party planning on conventions without precinct conventions

I talked to my county's SDEC representative and the party is not expecting any settlement. There is no reason to give in just to make things easier on Abbott. The GOP is complaining about missing out on the opportunity to have an impact on the presidential nominee and that is tough.

Right now, the TDP is planning on holding its June convention as scheduled. If need be, the party will skip precinct conventions and hold county/Senate District conventions based on voter rolls and requiring attendees to sign pledges to support the party candidate. This will be messy but doable.

It is the GOP who is upset. This means that the primary could not occur before the Tuesday after the Memorial Day holiday or sometime in June or July. The GOP contest for the presidential nominee should be over and the GOP will have to worry about its candidates who are facing tea party candidates in the primary. In Fort Bend, Pete Olson is facing a King Street Patriot lady who is nuttier than a fruitcake but who could beat Pete in a low turnout primary.

One of the briefs filed by the plaintiffs today take the position that the San Antonio court should wait until after the DC court rules https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BxeOfQQnUr_gNWFhNDJiNTEtOTMwMy00ODQ2LTk5NWYtMWRjMDQzOTExNjdl and http://txredistricting.org/post/17562067940/reply-briefs-on-interim-maps

I agree that we should now wait and not give in unless Abbott backs off of CD 25.

[northoftheborder]

6. Lloyd Doggett worth fighting for. One of the very very few progressives in Texas.

the Repubs deserve what they get - a late primary. I can't say the things I feel about the Texas Republicans.

[sonias]

8. You and I feel the same way

You captured my mood with your pictures. I also can't say other things I feel about Texas repukes either. It makes me so mad.

[Gothmog]

7. Abbott's argument does not hold up

The Texas GOP is really after Doggett and is arguing that coalition districts are not protected under the Voting Rights Act. If this is the case, then why is Abbott pushing for a coalition district in Dallas? http://quorumreport.com/quorum_report_daily_buzz_2012/is_it_a_minority_coalition_district__ag_says_inten_buzziid18535.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Quorum+Report+Daily+Buzz

One of the constants in the AG’s legal arguments throughout the challenges to the state’s enacted legislative and congressional maps has been this: the Voting Rights Act does not require the creation or protection of minority coalition districts.

Those are districts that need minority groups to vote together in order to select a candidate of choice.

So it was a little puzzling to see the AG last week announce a proposed interim congressional map that included a newly configured district in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex that appeared to function as a coalition district.

CD 33, under Abbott’s proposal, is a barbell district with population concentrations in Tarrant and Dallas Counties, linked by a strand of land paralleling I-30. It looks similar to a congressional district proposed by MALDEF during session and QR readers will remember that MALDEF was one of the plaintiff groups that said it could live with Abbott’s maps.

Hopefully, this inconsistency will be pointed out today at the status hearing.

[sonias]

9. Excellent find!

Abbott spins so many lies he can barely keep them straight!

Does Abbott even know what a coalition district means?

So it was a little puzzling to see the AG last week announce a proposed interim congressional map that included a newly configured district in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex that appeared to function as a coalition district.

There are liars and damn liars and then there are Texas republican worst damn liars!!!

[Gothmog]

11. Twitter feed is interesting

You can follow the twitter feed of this hearing by going to www.txredistricting.org or this link http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=en&gbv=2&gs_sm=1&gs_upl=3591l6494l0l8961l3l3l0l0l0l0l203l452l1.1.1l3l0&q=cache:khv1NMUSC7MJ:http://txredistricting.org/+texas+redistricting&ct=clnk The proceeding is interesting.

[sonias]

12. I've been reading/watching the twitter feed

Mostly Michael Li's comments here:

https://twitter.com/#!/mcpli


He does have the live tweeting on his website too from various sources using the same hash tags:

http://txredistricting.org/post/17593271195/live-tweet-of-tuesdays-hearing-on-interim-maps-and-the

Fascinating!

[Gothmog]

13. It is really addicting

I am enjoying reading about what is going on.

The April 3 primary has been dead for a while and now I am not sure if we can get an April 17 primary done if the DOJ has to preclear any new maps

[sonias]

14. I'm thinking June

Primaries are not going to happen before June.

Hopefully this will be a lesson to people on how poorly the Texas republicans treat voters and taxpayer money. All they care is about their re-elections. Everything they do is driven by their incumbency protection. And this is costing the taxpayers and local county election officials a lot of money, time and headaches. Just remember who put this on you.

This will certainly be a very strange election year for Texas.

[Gothmog]

15. A late primary will make Abbott even more unpopular

I have a feeling that Greg Abbott is not going to be too popular. The Texas GOP is losing a chance to influence the 2012 race and there are more than a few GOP incumbents who are facing tea party candidates in their primaries. In a low turnout race that will occur in the middle of summer after the GOP Presdential nomination has been settled, these GOP incumbents may lose to a tea party candidate. But for Abbott's stupidity, the GOP could be right in the middle of a Super Tuesday contest.

[sonias]

16. "There’s a fundamental problem"

AAS 2/14/12

Redistricting deadlock continues

SAN ANTONIO — It became clear quickly today that an agreement between the Texas attorney general’s office and several plaintiffs suing the state over redistricting will not happen today.

The parties in the case were called to a hearing today to discuss compromising on a new set of interim maps for the Texas House, the U.S. House and the state Senate.

But David Mattax, one of the lawyers for the state, told a panel of three federal judges that too much disagreement exists between Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office and a collection of plaintiffs, which include several civil rights groups, individuals and politicians representing specific parts of the state.

“There’s a fundamental problem,” Mattax said.

No shit Mattax! There is a fundamental problem. Your side doesn't want to expand the voting franchise and would rather have the elected officials cherry pick their voters. Our side wants to expand the voting franchise the way democracy should work and of course let voters actually vote for their preferred representatives!

[sonias]

17. Redistricting Experts Struggle to fix Maps, Elections

Texas Tribune 2/14/12
Redistricting Experts Struggle to fix Maps, Elections

Updated, 6:46 pm

The judges closed out the day by telling the lawyers to wrap things up. Judge Orlando Garcia asked the lawyers for the state and for MALC how far apart they were; hearing that they were down to a one-seat difference in the number of minority districts in their maps, he urged them to come to agreement. He also told the attorneys in the room to work out their differences over the state Senate maps.

The judges also appeared at the end of today's hearing to have ruled out split primaries — due to cost — and April primaries — due to logistics.

They'll convene tomorrow at 8 a.m.

[sonias]

18. DOJ: Doggett’s district isn’t protected, but it could be

Postcards from the Lege blog AAS 2/14/12

DOJ: Doggett’s district isn’t protected, but it could be

A lawyer from the U.S. Department of Justice spoke to the panel in federal court today about Congressional District 25, the Central Texas district currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin.

“We don’t think that it is a protected district,” he said.

Timothy Mellett, a lawyer in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice, discussed Doggett’s district when he addressed the court on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which seeks to end intentional discrimination of minority voters by making states with a history of discrimination, such as Texas, get approval of any changes to election laws through the pre-clearance process.

(snip)

Mellett later added that Congressional District 25 has the potential to be seen differently.

“We think the court could decide it’s a protected district under the Voting Rights Act,” Mellett said of Congressional District 25.

I can hear the Texas republicans whining if the court decides CD25 is a protected district. Oh please, please make it so!

[Gothmog]

19. Doggett's best bet is to wait for DC Court ruling

I think that there is good evidence on actual intent to discriminate in the DC case and that Doggett best chance of keeping his district intact is to wait until the DC court rules.

This means that we may be looking at a June or July primary which screws the GOP voters who want to have a say in the GOP nominee. These GOP voters can thank Greg Abbott for cutting them out of the process.

[sonias]

21. Agreed

I hope we do wait for the DC court on the Congressional map.

Looks like from the discussions so far the judges seem to favor the state and groups at least getting the senate and house maps done. There is just way too much disagreement on the Congressional map and the repukes won't concede they were drawn with racist intent. The repukes can't even concede that a "minority elected official" is not the same thing as "elected by a minority population". The repukes think those two are interchangeable. It sounds just like their national talking point - "Since Obama got elected natonally - we no longer need the VRA!"

One of Michaell Li's latest tweets:

State again focuses on ethnicity of elected official rather than ethnicity of voters doing the choosing.

[Gothmog]

20. Attys spent a great deal of time on Doggett's district this morning

I have been following the twitter feed and the court has spent a great deal of time this morning on CD 15

[Gothmog]

22. SD 10 is a coalition district

As noted on other threads, SD 10 is also a coalition district where the minority groups have a combined ability to elect their choice of candidate. How is this district any different from CD 25? There was good proof of intent to discriminate in SD 10 but there is also good proof of intent to discriminate in CD 25.

The parties may have to wait until the DC court speaks or the San Antonio court is going to have to make a ruling based on not insubstantial test announced by the SCOTUS.