High Court Halts New Texas Electoral Maps

[alp227]

Source: AP

The Supreme Court has blocked the use of Texas state legislative and congressional district maps that were drawn by federal judges to boost minorities' voting power.

The court issued a brief order Friday that applies to electoral maps drawn by federal judges in San Antonio for the Texas Legislature and Congress. The justices said they will hear arguments in the case on Jan. 9.

Texas says the federal judges overstepped their authority and should have taken into account the electoral maps that were drawn by the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature.

The order brings to a halt filing for legislative and congressional primary elections that began Nov. 28.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45619410/ns/politics/

[FBaggins]

1. Ouch!

Thought we had a lucky break there (or at least a two-year delay before another re-redistricting mid-cycle).

[Little Tich]

2. Gerrymandering - From Wikipedia

(edit for clarity)

Gerrymandering
In the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts. The resulting district is known as a gerrymander (/ˈdʒɛriˌmændər/); however, that word can also refer to the process.

Gerrymandering may be used to achieve desired electoral results for a particular party, or may be used to help or hinder a particular demographic, such as a political, racial, linguistic, religious or class group.

When used to allege that a given party is gaining disproportionate power, the term gerrymandering has negative connotations. However, a gerrymander may also be used for purposes that some perceive as positive, such as in US federal voting district boundaries that produce a majority of constituents representative of African-American or other racial minorities (these are thus called "minority-majority districts").

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
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In most countries, this practice is heavily frowned upon, sometimes even illegal. It's a common practice in the US, however.

[DissedByBush]

5. I don't know much about the specifics

But in identifying gerrymandering I use the "first look" -- if it looks screwed up and contorted upon first look, it's probably gerrymandered.

One thing I know about Texas is the Houston mess, that horribly gerrymandered district that keep the embarrassing Sheila Jackson-Lee in office.

This new judge's map looks even worse than it is today. The Republican plan looks extremely clean in comparison.

No, I'm not thinking partisan politics, just common sense.

Florida 22 shouldn't be allowed to exist, it's absolutely obviously gerrymandered, there's no other sane reason for the shape. Yet it's just about perfectly balanced Democrat/Repub.

My favorite is PA-12, where the Republicans tried to pack all the Democrats into one district. That backfired badly after Murtha (RIP) died.

[ooglymoogly]

3. The Supremes once again stepping in to pull off pug wins and pack

the governments, high and low with right wingers. Look how well * worked for them and their chronies. They cannot help but be worried, that if there is a big D win; there probably are impeachments and constitutional amendments nullifying their crooked deals in the wind.

[Gman]

4. Crap

not good, but not unexpected