High court's hot potato: redistricting - starts tomorrow!

[babylonsister]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0301/p03s03-usju.html

High court's hot potato: redistricting
A Texas case, argued Wednesday, could hand House seats to Democrats - or unleash more gerrymandering.
By Warren Richey | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

A high-stakes redistricting case is pushing the US Supreme Court into politically charged territory.

At issue: whether Republican tactics to redraw Texas congressional districts in 2003 violated election laws or the US Constitution.


A decision by the high court, which hears the case Wednesday, could have far-reaching political consequences.

Striking down the redistricting plan, which helped give the GOP a near 2-to-1 advantage over Democrats in the Texas congressional delegation, could bring as many as six congressional seats into play for the Democrats. They hope to seize control of the US House of Representatives in November. Upholding the plan, however, could unleash a new round of increasingly aggressive efforts by both Republicans and Democrats around the country to use partisan gerrymandering to try to establish one-party domination of local, state, and national politics.

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[VelmaD]

1. Testifying against the redistricting...

was about the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on. I hope somewhere along the line someone lets the Court know just how many people came out to testify against it...and how few ever showed up who actually supported it. I believe well over 90% of the people who testified were against redistricting. No one in Texas wanted redistricting except for a few power-mad republicans.

[acmejack]

2. I hope they overturn it!

What do you think they'll do? Any feel for it?

[VelmaD]

3. Well, I figure we're screwed

I don't trust the current Court to uphold the right of the citizen to have their vote count. But I'm hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised.

The only thing I think the Court might frown on is that they had already redistricted in 2001 to make more republican friendly districts and when that didn't work out for them they re-redistricted. It looks pretty bad on its face. The Court might also have enough sense to realize if repubs can do it here...then Democrats can do it in other states...and they may not want to open that can of worms.

[acmejack]

4. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

And hope for the best & expect the worst.

[MagickMuffin]

5. Considering how the USSC ruled in 2000

they certainly don't hold much regard for the citizens. After all they disenfranchised a whole state of voters way back at the beginning of this nightmare.

Of course we can always hope they will consider the country as a whole and not play partisan politics.