Can Reps Diaz-Balart, Brown sue to block Fair Districts amendments

[ccharles000]

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/05/reps-diazbalart-brown-sue-to-block-fair-districts-amendments.html

Democrat Corrine Brown of Jacksonville and Republican Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami, both U.S. reps., have filed suit to halt the redistricting Constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by the liberal-leaning Fair Districts Florida group. Allies of Fair Districts last week sued to block the Legislature's response to their amendments. More here on all the background.

Brown and Diaz-Balart say the Fair Districts amendment "creates false expectations and promises" and hurts minority voters (so what if the NAACP backs Fair Districts). They didn't bother attaching their lawsuit to the press release, so it's not here for your perusal.

Fair Districts already survived a court challenge and was deemed ok for the ballot by the Florida Supreme Court. This lawsuit, therefore, would have to raise new issues, such as the Bartlett vs. Strickland case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court after Fair Districts qualified for the ballot. The Bartlett case laid out new guidelines for drawing so-called "minority-access districts" -- those districts with loads of minorities who nevertheless comprise less than 50 percent of the vote.

[Mika]

1. Diaz Balart carved himself out a perfect district in Fl. when he sat on the Fl. legislature's ..

.. redistricting committee.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Diaz-Balart

He was elected to the Florida House in 1988 and moved to the Florida Senate in 1992. He returned to the state House in 2000. During his second tenure in the House, he chaired the redistricting committee.

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On February 11, 2010, Diaz-Balart announced his intention to seek election in Florida's 21st congressional district -- being vacated by his brother, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart -- rather than the 25th district.<3> Although it is widely believed that Mario Diaz-Balart drew the 25th for himself, it is actually a slightly marginal district on paper. In contrast, the 21st is considered the most Republican district in the Miami area.

On April 30th, qualifying closed for the 21st Congressional District race, with no other candidate qualifying other than Representative Diaz-Balart. Therefore, he has been reelected to the House of Representatives for the 112th Congress without opposition.

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