Judge invalidates Florida's congressional districts
Last edited Fri Jul 11, 2014, 03:10 PM - Edit history (2)
Source: Tampa Bay Times
In a ruling released late Thursday, Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis ordered the redrawing of Florida's congressional map, contending that it violates the Fair District standards.
In his 41-page ruling, the judge rejected challenges to districts in South Florida and that Tampa Bay but said that District 5, held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, and District 10, held by Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, "will need to be redrawn, as will any other districts affected thereby."
The ruling is expected to be appealed by the Legislature, which said in a statement it is reviewing the ruling.
Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/judge-invalidates-floridas-congressional-districts/2188031
Judge invalidates Florida's congressional districts, appeal is likely
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/07/judge-invalidates-floridas-congressional-districts-appeal-is-likely-.html
In a ruling released late Thursday, Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis blasted the Republican establishment that created Florida's congressional map, saying they "made a mockery" of transparency, allowed for "improper partisan intent" and ordered that two of the state's 27 districts drawn in 2012 violate the Fair District standards.
(snip)
Lewis blasted the role of the political consultants saying "they made a mockery of the Legislature's transparent and open process of redistricting" while "going to great lengths to conceal from the public their paln and their participation in it.
"They were successful in their efforts to influence the redistricting process and the congressional plan under review here,'' he wrote. "And they might have successfully concealed their scheme and their actions from the public had it not been for the Plaintiffs determined efforts to uncover it in this case."
He concluded, however, that the circumstantial evidence proved that the political operatives "managed to find other avenues...to infiltrate and influence the Legislature" to ensure their plan was realized.
CampaignLegal on Fla. ruling
http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2524:july-10-2014-floridas-2010-congressional-redistricting-ruled-unconstitutional-by-florida-circuit-court&catid=63:legal-center-press-releases&Itemid=61&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
(snip)
In adopting the amendments to the Florida Constitution in 2010, Florida voters decided that voters should choose their elected representatives and that politicians shouldnt choose their voters, said J. Gerald Hebert, Executive Director of the Campaign Legal Center. The Florida Legislature ignored the law and the will of Florida voters and let itself be hijacked by Republican political consultants and operatives. The decision today is a devastating indictment of those who manipulated the redistricting process secretly behind closed doors and tried to shield it from the public. Political consultants and legislators even destroyed evidence about the redistricting process, apparently in an effort to keep their conspiracy secret. Todays victory was a direct result of the hard work and dedication of Fair Districts Now, and particularly its leader, Ellen Freidin, who made certain that Floridas voters got a decision that safeguards their voting rights.
Judge strikes down GOP-drawn Florida congressional lines
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/211930-judge-strikes-down-florida-congressional-lines
(snip)
The decision is certain to be appealed, and even many Democrats, who cheered the ruling, are doubtful that any redrawing could be implemented quickly enough for the 2014 elections. The state's filing period has already closed ahead of the August 26 primary elections. The judge has yet to order actions going forward to correct the map.
Following a nearly two week trial last month, the judge only found fault with those two districts. Still, his decision, and subsequent likely appeals, could have a major impact on the rest of the state's congressional lines.
"The impact cant be understated, because it really forces almost all of the districts to be adjusted to be more competitive in Florida. Politically, were going to be seeing the ramifiactions for years to come," said one Florida Democratic strategist, who admitted the changed likely wouldn't be in place until 2016.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/07/11/3459082/florida-court-declares-one-of-the-worst-partisan-gerrymanders-in-the-country-unconstitutional/
Here is the relevant portion of Floridas congressional map
(snip)
That purple, worm-like thing that starts near the northeast corner of the state and then twists almost all the way down to its midpoint, thats District 5. District 10 is the one directly below District 5. Though more compact in shape than a purple worm, District 10 has what Judge Lewis describes as an odd-shaped appendage which wraps under and around District 5, running between District 5 and 9. As Lewis notes, Districts 5, 7, 9 and 10 are shaped the way they are in part because a Republican political consultant suggested that they be redrawn in a way that transformed them from being four Democratic performing or leaning seats in early maps . . . to two Democratic and two Republican performing seats in the enacted map. So Republicans likely picked up two congressional seats because of the odd design of these districts.
Indeed, Lewis discusses significant evidence that Republican lawmakers colluded with Republican operatives regarding the maps. Early in the process, Republican legislative leaders met with a group of GOP political operatives and a top Republican lawyer to discuss redistricting. The deputy chief of staff to Floridas then-house speaker shared draft maps with a particular Republican consultant at least 24 times. In some cases, he provided this GOP consultant with draft maps that were never released to the public.
Yet, while Judge Lewiss opinion reaches some damning conclusions about the current congressional maps, Thursdays decision is far from a total victory for the plaintiffs in this case. Those plaintiffs challenged nine of Floridas congressional districts, but Lewis only struck down two.
Nevertheless, his opinion is a significant victory over one of the most gerrymandered maps in the nation, and it also an important proof of concept. The United States Supreme Court, or, at least, its conservative members, have thus far refused to allow federal courts to consider partisan redistrict cases because they claim they are unable to identify a manageable standard that judges can use to decide these cases. Yet Judge Lewis was able to uncover and apply a standard he could use to judge Floridas maps. His decision on Thursday casts a cloud of doubt over the conservative justices decisions regarding partisan gerrymandering.
Florida Redistricting 07-10-2014 Ruling
http://www.scribd.com/doc/233426853/Florida-Redistricting-07-10-2014-Ruling
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)Duval
(4,280 posts)RockaFowler
(7,429 posts)voteearlyvoteoften
(1,716 posts)She is based in Jacksonville 150 miles from my home!
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)Rod Beauvex
(564 posts)49 more to go.
SwankyXomb
(2,030 posts)We're good here in California.
Sognefjord
(229 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)Fla Dem
(23,351 posts)Of course the Repthugs will contest the ruling. It will go to the Florida Supreme Court, and if they uphold the ruling, guess where it will end up? The US Supreme Court. What are the chances of it getting by Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito and Kennedy?
Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Thanks for the thread, Eva.
secondvariety
(1,245 posts)to see some of the puke legislators be prosecuted over this. Anyone with half a wit knew what they were up to.
herding cats
(19,549 posts)I love it when GOP gerrymandering fails!
gademocrat7
(10,623 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,418 posts)Now we wait.
underthematrix
(5,811 posts)DirkGently
(12,151 posts)hue
(4,949 posts)Unknown Beatle
(2,672 posts)Now, if they'd do that in Texas, Wendy Davis would most certainly win.
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)William769
(55,124 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)cprise
(8,445 posts)...at all is very encouraging.
...and actually levelling suspicion against GOP "political operatives"
Will wonders never cease?
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)It's a damn shame this will take so long to implement.
Lochloosa
(16,019 posts)Corrine Brown's district is drawn to be disproportionately minority voters. This dilutes all the surrounding districts of minority and urban voters and leads to at least 5 districts that are overwhelmingly republican.
This map is not drawn to assure a Democratic district, it is drawn to assure 5 Republican districts.
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)And hopefully, it starts a trend in the other GOTP gerrymandered states.
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,085 posts)....while people just a few blocks over from their house get to have Corrine Brown instead.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)madville
(7,397 posts)The beginning of her statement:
The decision by Judge Lewis is seriously flawed. It completely fails to take into consideration the rights of minority voters or to recognize federal law, specifically the 1964 Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voting rights and clearly supersedes the states Fair Districts standards. After the Florida Legislature conducted several dozen hearings throughout the state of Florida in a bi-partisan fashion to include voter participation and input on their representation, the Legislature drew the current plan and it passed both the House and Senate."
I can't blame her for fighting this decision because it will transform her district from solidly Democratic to potentially a competitive one.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Kind of disappointing that a Democrat would support gerrymandering for such a partisan, shallow reason.
Roland99
(53,342 posts)And this decision will likely be met by deaf ears in Tallahassee.