Colorado GOP Loses Redistricting Case

[Kadie]

Colorado GOP Loses Redistricting Case

17 minutes ago Add Elections - AP to My Yahoo!

By GINA HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Colorado Republicans lost a Supreme Court appeal Monday over whether a congressional map favorable to Democrats is permanent until after the next census in 2010.

A fractured court refused to consider replacing that map with a GOP-drafted redistricting plan, a defeat for Republicans who have sought to reopen the boundary-drawing process in several states to protect their control of the House.

The Colorado Supreme Court had ruled last December that Republicans violated the state Constitution by pushing a new map through the Legislature just a year after a judge had redrawn the boundaries. District drawing may be done only once a decade, the court decided.

Justices refused Monday to consider an appeal of that decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia (news - web sites) and Clarence Thomas (news - web sites) wrote separately to say the court was wrong not to hear the case.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=548&ncid=696&e=3&u=/ap/20040607/ap_on_el_ge/scotus_redistricting

[mhr]

1. Yes! - Let's Get The New Texas Map Thrown Out Now!

eom

[MallRat]

2. Wow. How did this happen?

Are you telling me that Colorado redistricting will HELP the Democrats?

Who had the clout to accomplish this in Colorado?

-MR

[salin]

5. sorta - it is the orignal (after the census) redistricting

that stands... and the second round by the republicans who created a NEW map that gets axed.

[otohara]

24. Our Mostly Dem Supreme Ct. Justices

one of whom I proudly know....

[Jim__]

3. Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas sided with the GOP

What a shock!!!

These 3 "non-activist" judges want the federal court to sit in judgement on the state constitution of Colorado.

[w4rma]

4. Those three seem to be itching for another Bush v. Gore where they can

overrule state laws.

[bearfan454]

6. That needs to happen here in Tx

Last year the repukes pulled off an illegal power grab.

[Tellurian]

7. Good news and Bad news?

"Besides Colorado, Texas is also a state where Republican lawmakers spearheaded new redistricting. Appeals over that are pending at the Supreme Court."

Do they mean the US Supreme Court or the Texas Supreme Court?
I'm not clear on that.

And what about this?

"Justices refused Monday to consider an appeal of that decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas wrote separately to say the (Appeals) court was wrong not to hear the case.

So, effectively haven't Rehnquist and Thomas by volunteering their unsolicited opinion, 'tainted the waters' so to speak?

[sam sarrha]

8. Actually the Texas Gerrymander was to eliminate moderate Republicans

the Democrats aren't a problem, they ran space as wide as the white line down the middle of the road, almost 500 miles, from Austin to El Paso then surrounded Republican districts and put them in Democratic precincts.

The neocons will stop at nothing.. i have a screen saver of a cowboy holding a sign up in front of Governor Perry's home that says, "Trent Lot's Bitch lives here!!"

[Hawkeye-X]

16. Actually

that's Tom DeLay's Bitch, not Trent Lott -- that's in Mississippi.

Hawkeye-X

[iorg]

19. I think

you are referring to the purported "NAFTA corridor" district 25, which runs from East Austin (with a convenient jut across 35 to include the students of UT-Austin) south to Progreso, Texas.

[JohnLocke]

9. Gerrymandering is the most undemocratic process in America today.

This is even worse than electoral college, because at least that is somewhat fixed and based on a set criteria. Gerrymandering only secures the incumbency and shields politicians from any citizen challenges. It's entirely undemocratic in that it draw up new maps of who your voters are going to be -- often these new districts literally crave into "Republican" and "Democratic" neighborhoods.

It's mostly the Republicans who do it. they are the ones who are always talking about the "competitive American spirit" and
"free trade" and "competition": except when it comes to say, gerrymandering, or importing legal prescription drugs from Canada.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

10. The redistricting proposal was a blatant

attempt to thwart the state constitutional process. It was the state Republican house members who pushed this, and I found it hard to believe they were able to take this all the way to the Supreme Court. Three Cheers for States' Rights! MKJ

[donco6]

23. Welcome to DU, BHP

Let's all celebrate a rare Dem victory in Colorado!

[cjbuchanan]

11. Good news all around

Different issues here in Texas, but let's hope something similar will come of it.

[Tellurian]

13. Except that Thomas and Rehnquist have sort of tipped their hand..yes?

[Eloriel]

22. Not necessarily

The issue of whether to hear a case or not doesn't indicate what their decision might have been -- unless that's clear (or inferrable) from what they wrote in their dissent on the issue.

[sonias]

12. Unfortunately this may not help us in Texas

Colorado had a stronger case because their state constitution specifically states that they could only redistrict every 10 years. Texas has no protection of the same kind. The State lawyers here in Texas did try to make that case anyway but the federal judges said that while the mid decade redistricting smelled there was nothing that made it illegal. They said Congress should make that case law.

Great for Colorado though!

There is some hope however for Texas. Here is a good article about why the Texas case unlike the PA case might be different at SCOTUS. You do need to register to read the thing on-line. It is a commentary piece
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/wednesday/editorial_04dbb7f1766b22c30092.html
Texas case offers way to rein in redistricting
"The fight for democracy abroad begins at home. Jackson v. Perry is the next battleground. Anyone who cares about democracy should hope that Justice Kennedy will have the courage of the convictions he expressed in Vieth -- the courage to stop at least the most crass partisan abuses. To miss this opportunity would threaten to unleash a frenzy of biennial partisan gerrymandering that would further corrode American politics and render even more hollow our claim to model democracy for others."


You can keep up with the Texas case at
http://www.savetexasreps.com/

Sonia

[Tellurian]

18. Thanks sonias for the info

You can use this site for the log in..

http://www.bugmenot.com/view.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.statesman.com%2F

passed on to me by a generous soul, here at DU.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

14. Bye, Bye, Bob Beuaprez.

:bounce:

[Hawkeye-X]

17. Yup. Beauprez's history

and we'll get another freshman Congresscritter from Colorado to add on with our Mike Miles who'll be the newly elected Senator from Colorado (after whooping Moose Piss' ass in the November elections)

Hawkeye-X

[Hawkeye-X]

15. Fuck Fat Tony and his crony, Fat Clarence.

They're dead wrong. The Supreme Court has done the right thing. Now the Texas redistricting map is in grave danger, and so is Bug-Spray DeLay.

Hawkeye-X

[ixion]

20. good... the TX GOP has been using CO as precedent

so this really puts their plan in dire straits.

Bogus gerrymandering: The heart and soul of the GOP.

[struggle4progress]

21. kick

:kick: