Supreme Court rejects judge drawn Texas plan

[monovillage]

It looks as if the Supreme Court has found that the plan originally produced by the Texas Legislature was given short shrift or none at all by Federal judges so they sent the plan back to Texas. I see it as a win for elected government over an appointed activist judiciary.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/us-usa-politics-texas-idUSTRE80J16A20120120

"In its first ruling on political boundary-drawing based on the 2010 U.S. Census, the high court unanimously set aside the interim maps created by federal district court judges in San Antonio.

The high court said it was unclear whether the judges in Texas followed the appropriate standards and sent the cases back for further proceedings.

At issue were the maps that Texas will use in its primary contests set for April 3 that will decide party candidates for congressional and state legislature elections in November."

 

[Atreus21]

It's only gerrymandering if your opponent does it.

 

[PokerGuy]

Activist court maps got tossed... but the court didn't go as far as ruling that the maps previously drawn by the legislature were to be enforced, so it's not a full win.

 

[Wreckem]

No. All this ruling means is, the San Antonio federal judges get to redraw the maps, with the legislatures maps as a starting point. These maps that are going to get redrawn by the same judges would only be used for this year. The real maps that will exist for the next 10 years(less by time they get done) will come from the DC Circuit after they finish the main court case involving the legislatively passed maps.

 

[ichy]

All this stuff about having to create minority districts is idiotic and racist. Race shouldn't be considered when drawing district boundaries.

 

[Wreckem]

All this stuff about having to create minority districts is idiotic and racist. Race shouldn't be considered when drawing district boundaries.

Unfortunately, the southern states for years drew maps that purposely diluted minority votes. Both SCotUS and Congress have said that was wrong and now the southern states must follow certain guidelines and get pre-clearance from the DOJ before using any new voting map.

And it is not about creating minority districts. Its about keeping states from gerrymandering them out of existence. A race neutral map in Texas would create MORE minority districts. Remember in Texas only 45% of the state is white-non hispanic. By 2020 Hispanics are expected to out number whites in Texas.

The legislatively passed maps really don't reflect changes in demographics.

 

[monovillage]

All this stuff about having to create minority districts is idiotic and racist. Race shouldn't be considered when drawing district boundaries.

It's OK to be racist if you belong to the right party and you say it's for the "right" reasons.

 

[cybrsage]

All this stuff about having to create minority districts is idiotic and racist. Race shouldn't be considered when drawing district boundaries.

Yes and no.

Minorities always get shorted in any democracy...it is simply the nature of majority rule. However, you can provide some level of representation by creating some districts in which minorites are the majority. Without doing this, the minorites get no representation for their specific needs.

 

[ichy]

Yes and no.

Minorities always get shorted in any democracy...it is simply the nature of majority rule. However, you can provide some level of representation by creating some districts in which minorites are the majority. Without doing this, the minorites get no representation for their specific needs.

Um, has it ever occurred to you that people will vote for people who are of a different race?

 

[ichy]

The entire country should use the same system that Iowa does. It's non-partisan & produces far more sensible districts than any state legislature.

 

[Wreckem]

The entire country should use the same system that Iowa does. It's non-partisan & produces far more sensible districts than any state legislature.

When your state is nearly 90% white thats an easy task to accomplish.

 

[Mursilis]

Unfortunately, the southern states for years drew maps that purposely diluted minority votes. Both SCotUS and Congress have said that was wrong and now the southern states must follow certain guidelines and get pre-clearance from the DOJ before using any new voting map.

And it is not about creating minority districts. Its about keeping states from gerrymandering them out of existence. A race neutral map in Texas would create MORE minority districts. Remember in Texas only 45% of the state is white-non hispanic. By 2020 Hispanics are expected to out number whites in Texas.

The legislatively passed maps really don't reflect changes in demographics.

What should be the goal of districting, anyway? I'm in favor of race-neutral districts, to the extend possible. The districts should be as equal as possible in population and geographically congruent - no other considerations should be taken into account.

 

[lothar]

It's only gerrymandering if your opponent does it.

This.

Democrats in Maryland have eliminated all but one Republican district through gerrymandering the past 10 years.
Connie Morella, Bob Erhlich, and Wayne Gilchrest's district was eliminated because they redrew the maps specifically to added more democratic votes to them.

And now they are targeting Roscoe Bartlett's district.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...d-house-seats/2011/09/30/gIQANkJ8AL_blog.html

 

[ichy]

This.

Democrats in Maryland have eliminated all but one Republican district through gerrymandering the past 10 years.
Connie Morella, Bob Erhlich, and Wayne Gilchrest's district was eliminated because they redrew the maps specifically to added more democratic votes to them.

And now they are targeting Roscoe Bartlett's district.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...d-house-seats/2011/09/30/gIQANkJ8AL_blog.html

There are two GOP districts in MD. Gilchrest didn't lose because of redistricting, he was booted out in a GOP primary. The Republicans lost that district in 2008 because of the Democratic tide and the fact that Andy Harris is a colossal asshole. He came back in 2010 though and won so now the party divide is 6 and 2 again. Bartlett's district *might* be up for grabs this coming year, but I don't know that the Dems can squeeze out another congressional seat. They already gerrymandered the state to hell ten years ago.

 

[ichy]

When your state is nearly 90% white thats an easy task to accomplish.

Make congressional districts race neutral and the state's racial composition won't matter.

 

[Anarchist420]

Gerrymandering is a good thing as long as it's done by the State legislatures.

 

[Wreckem]

This.

Democrats in Maryland have eliminated all but one Republican district through gerrymandering the past 10 years.
Connie Morella, Bob Erhlich, and Wayne Gilchrest's district was eliminated because they redrew the maps specifically to added more democratic votes to them.

And now they are targeting Roscoe Bartlett's district.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...d-house-seats/2011/09/30/gIQANkJ8AL_blog.html

Gerrymandering based on party affiliation is legal.

Gerrymandering to dilute minority voters is not.

 

[monovillage]

Make congressional districts race neutral and the state's racial composition won't matter.

You don't understand. In the left-wing Democrat world people are supposed to vote only on their race or heritage or what their last name is, it should have nothing to do with their ideas, values and character.

 

[Wreckem]

Make congressional districts race neutral and the state's racial composition won't matter.

Like I said. If Texas went to a race neutral map, there would be a fairly significant increase in minority districts.

When southern states draw maps every ten years they are not race neutral. They do just enough to try and not run afoul of the Voting Rights Act. Most of the time they fail and the courts have alter or redraw them.

There are still a lot of racists in Texas and the South. The racists in Texas are in for a huge shock come the 2020 census and following redistricting.

 

[lothar]

There are two GOP districts in MD. Gilchrest didn't lose because of redistricting, he was booted out in a GOP primary. The Republicans lost that district in 2008 because of the Democratic tide and the fact that Andy Harris is a colossal asshole. He came back in 2010 though and won so now the party divide is 6 and 2 again. Bartlett's district *might* be up for grabs this coming year, but I don't know that the Dems can squeeze out another congressional seat. They already gerrymandered the state to hell ten years ago.

That was why I mentioned "his district" and not him specifically.

There's enough Montgomery County votes to go around.

"O’Malley intends to redraw the state’s 6th Congressional District to enable a Democrat to successfully challenge 10-term GOP Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett. O’Malley would accomplish that by driving Bartlett’s current Western Maryland district deep into Montgomery County, thereby picking up liberal voters along the I-270 corridor, in Gaithersburg and parts of Rockville."

 

[ichy]

There are a lot of racists in Northern states as well. They usually belong to groups like the NAACP.

 

[ichy]

That was why I mentioned "his district" and not him specifically.

The first district (Gilchrest's, now Harris's) is back in GOP hands and will almost certainly stay that way.

 

[Wreckem]

You don't understand. In the left-wing Democrat world people are supposed to vote only on their race or heritage or what their last name is, it should have nothing to do with their ideas, values and character.

Minority districts have nothing to do with democrats or republicans.

A minority district is one that is made by a majority of minorities. Minority districts don't necessarily mean it is a democratic district.

 

[Wreckem]

There are a lot of racists in Northern states as well. They usually belong to groups like the NAACP.

Are you saying white voters are being repressed?

LOL. You are a fucking idiot.

There is a LONG history of southern states repressing minority voters by gerrymandering voting maps to dilute their votes.

Under the legislatively passed maps, 10 out of 36 districts were minority districts. Keep in mind 55% of the state of Texas are minorities. That number will be over 60% come 2020.

The legislative maps created IIRC 1 new minority district out of the 4 new seats Texas got. The judicial maps switched that around to 3 of the 4 new districts being minority districts. Minority population growth is responsible for the vast majority of the huge population increase in Texas.

If redistricting was race neutral there would probably be atleast 15 minority districts in Texas.

 

[monovillage]

Minority districts have nothing to do with democrats or republicans.

A minority district is one that is made by a majority of minorities. Minority districts don't necessarily mean it is a democratic district.

Of course not, the Democrats are only interested in fairness and the common good, it's only the evil, nasty Republicans that would ever try to gerrymander for political gain.