DOJ: Rick Perry's Texas Redistricting Plan Purposefully Discriminated Against Minorities

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

DOJ: Rick Perry's Texas Redistricting Plan Purposefully Discriminated Against Minorities
Ryan J. Reilly | September 23, 2011, 5:40PM


The Justice Department said late Friday that based on their preliminary investigation, a congressional redistricting map signed into law by Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry appears to have been "adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to Congress."

DOJ's Civil Rights Division is specifically contesting the changes made to Texas Districts 23 and 27, which they say would not provide Hispanic citizens with the ability to elect candidates of their choice.

They say they need more information on the congressional plan to determine what the purpose of the redistricting plan was for sure. But the federal agency came out stronger against the state House of Representatives plan, which they flat out said "violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in that it was adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the Texas House of Representatives."

..................

"When compared to the existing plan, the proposed Congressional plan will have a retrogressive effect in that it will diminish the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the United States House of Representatives," the Justice Department said in a filing.

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/doj_rick_perrys_texas_redistricting_plan_purposefully_discriminated_against_minorities.php?ref=fpblg

[MadMaddie]

1. Whaaaaaaaaaat? Denying Americans fair rights to vote for

their candidate? Say it anin't so...........So what is the DOJ going to about it besides investigating.

[sakabatou]

2. Rick scum, so of course he'd try and pull this shit.

[bluesbassman]

3. and in other news... The sun rose in the east and set in the west today...

much to the astonishment of 48% of the country. :)

[Jackpine Radical]

5. It would be really weird if that actually happened--about the sun, I mean.

Although no doubt the majority of the flat-Earther Tea Party thinks that's the way it works.

[freshstart]

7. Surprise....

surprise....not surprised.

[BlueIris]

4. Ugly. Not shocking, but ugly.

Rick Perry really is, as one of his former opponents once mentioned, the most disgusting human being known to man.

[tammywammy]

6. +1 n/t

[JJW]

8. Don't let SCOTUS know

they'd probably give him the Presidency.

[DonCoquixote]

9. This is NOT isolated

The GOP wants to game the vote, especially in areas where the minorities have shown their presence.

[Cool Logic]

10. Gerrymandering has been around since the 1800s...

And it has resulted in the stagnation of our Congress.

[WhiteTara]

11. Are there any penalties? Or IOKIYAR? n/t

[No Elephants]

12. My guess is that many redistricting plans focus on minorities, for good or for ill.

No matter which Party is primarily responsible for the plan.

Minority groups that are of African or Hispanic descent, anyway.

Except for Florida's Cubans most members of those groups are considered Democratic voters.

Ditto people who live in economically depressed neighborhoods, which are usually the targets of Republican vote caging efforts.

So, Democrats would want to enhance voting power of those groups, while Republicans would want to minimize voting power of those groups.

Either way, there oughtta be a law against it because, either way, it violates the spirit, if not the letter, of "one 'man,' one vote.

Yet another reason I can't wait until 2042.

[Heywood J]

13. This is why Texas needs preclearance from the DOJ. (NT)

[UTUSN]

14. K&R #23 n/t

[classysassy]

15. Texas the bush league state

The good ole boys are up to their old tricks again,and if it goes to the Supreme Court Jesters five of those clowns will approve Perry's evil plan.

[Major Nikon]

16. I hope to see a lot of folks doing the frog march over this

...and not just in Texas, either. This shit was going on while the Shrub DOJ was spending millions on mythical voter fraud investigations. It will be poetic justice to see a lot of GOPhers pay for their crimes while at the same time turning red districts back to blue where they should have been all along.