U.S. Supreme Court to review Republican-friendly Texas congressional map

[DallasTim]

Breaking news on CNN.com: U.S. Supreme Court to review Republican-friendly Texas congressional map engineered by Rep. Tom DeLay.

[cal04]

1. Link to put in your post

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051212/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_texas_redistricting

[Pirate Smile]

2. This is good news. Here are four paragraphs:

"WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Monday it would consider the constitutionality of a Texas congressional map engineered by Rep. Tom DeLay that helped Republicans gain seats in Congress.

The 2003 boundaries helped Republicans win 21 of the state's 32 seats in Congress in the last election_ up from 15. They were approved amid a nasty battle between Republican leaders and Democrats and minority groups in Texas.

The contentiousness also reached Washington, where the Justice Department approved the plan although staff lawyers concluded that it diluted minority voting rights. Because of historic discrimination against minority voters, Texas is required to get Justice Department approval for any voting changes to ensure they don't undercut minority voting.

Justices will consider a constitutional challenge to the boundaries filed by various opponents. The court will hear two hours of arguments, likely in April, in four separate appeals."

[still_one]

17. frankly I don't have much optimism

with roberts, scalia, thomas, and probably alito I don't think they give a damn about civil rights, and minority representation

[AnneD]

22. This is why the redistricting is bogus.....

In Texas, we redistrict every 10 yrs after the census. DeLay's redistricting came after we had ALREADY redistricted according to the recent census.
He used money that had been collected from outside sources to force a change, thus breaking one of our very FEW campaign laws.
He then came down and consulted with GOP reps in the House about redistricting (which brings up the question what in the hell is a national congressman doing in the state capital). The district lines are so blatantly gerrymandered. One district goes from north Houston almost all the way to Austin (3 hour drive away).
The GOP seem to work overtime to scheme to take what they cannot win honestly.

[CANDO]

3. Yeah, they'll "review" it and validate it.

For some reason, I'm not very optimistic this morning.

[Pirate Smile]

5. Well, if they didn't review it, there wouldn't be any chance at all.

[Betty]

4. Somehow I am not optimistic

afterwhat they did in the 2000 presidential election, why would this "supreme" court do the right thing about any issue having to do with elections?

[Benhurst]

6. I agree. And with Alito on the court, democracy will be finito. NT

[Ian David]

7. Agreed. They're going to fuck us all. n/t

[Supersedeas]

18. Justice Roberts can now show his true colors

[Ezlivin]

8. Pot to examine kettle

Why there's no problem at all! Everyone is the right place.

[progressoid]

25. That was my first thought.

Here's hoping we'll be pleasantly surprised. :toast:

[Squatch]

9. Breaking: USSC to review Republican-friendly Texas congressional map

engineered by Tom Delay

Breaking CNN

[Benhurst]

10. All the more reason to get Alito confirmed, so Delay's masterpiece

can remain in place.

Confirm Alito and democracy is finito.

[Justitia]

11. Why do I have no faith in this? It SHOULD be overturned, BUT

this is the same corrupt court that implemented Bush v Gore, so why wouldn't they allow the screwing of Texas (and the US House) to stand??? :cry:

The lawyers at Dept of Justice said the redistricting was ILLEGAL and now we have a repub majority in the US House as a result.
Tom DeLay and his minions response: "So what? Whatcha going to do about it? We ARE the law!"

[NJmaverick]

12. I think Delay may be more evil that Karl Rove

This man just lusts for power and will do ANYTHING to achieve it. Pure evil and he pretends to be religious.

[Patsy Stone]

13. WaPo/AP: Supreme Court to Review Texas Redistricting

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/12/AR2005121200415.html

<snip>

By GINA HOLLAND
The Associated Press
Monday, December 12, 2005; 10:59 AM

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Monday it would consider the constitutionality of a Texas congressional map engineered by Rep. Tom DeLay that helped Republicans gain seats in Congress.

The 2003 boundaries helped Republicans win 21 of the state's 32 seats in Congress in the last election_ up from 15. They were approved amid a nasty battle between Republican leaders and Democrats and minority groups in Texas.


The contentiousness also reached Washington, where the Justice Department approved the plan although staff lawyers concluded that it diluted minority voting rights. Because of past discrimination against minority voters, Texas is required to get Justice Department approval for any voting changes to ensure they don't undercut minority voting.

<snip>

The alleged scheme was part of a plan DeLay and others set in motion to help Republicans win control of the Texas House in 2002 elections. The Republican Legislature then adopted a DeLay-backed congressional voting district map.

<snip>

[trogdor]

14. Screw the minority voters issue.

That's ancillary. The REAL issue is whether a state can do redistricting whenever it feels like it. Considering ONLY the minority voters issue validates redistricting by fiat, which I feel is blatantly unconstitutional.

[NV Whino]

15. The question is

If they find it unconstitutional, which I believe it is, what are they going to do about it?

It will be one more strike against Delay, which is a good thing, but can they put it back the way it was? Probably not.
But if they redistrict to the prior set up, what happens to all the legislation that has been inacted with the Republican weighted districts?

This is a nasty can of worms, and (as we at DU all know) should have been addressed when it happened, not two years (?) after the fact.

[HuffleClaw]

16. hmmmm

with THIS court, i cannot seeing this being a good turn of events.

[xxqqqzme]

19. should read -

Rethuglican-friendly U.S. Supreme Court to review Republican-friendly Texas congressional map engineered by Rep. Tom DeLay.

[rumpel]

20. When the going get's tough, call Scalia. Worked in 2000.

:mad:

on edit

also for the secret energy meetings of Cheney.

[Chemical Bill]

21. Breaking: Republican friendly court to review....

We all know the ending to this one.

Bill

[Rowdyboy]

23. Excellent start!

Now if they'll just throw the damned thing out.

[MalachiConstant]

24. does anybody think anything will come of this?

just curious. what do you think the response will be?






postscript:

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4430590

[TankLV]

26. More good news! At least for now.

But with this REPUKE soctus ruling only on the perspective of what is good for the repuke party, I won't hold up much hope that true JUSTICE will be rendered.

[villager]

27. Supreme Court to Review Texas Redistricting

Supreme Court to Review Texas Redistricting

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court waded into the thicket of Texas politics Monday, agreeing to review controversial redistricting that produced ballot box gains for Republicans but an ethics rebuke and criminal charges for GOP Rep.
Tom DeLay.


The justices had seemed to leave scant room in 2004 for the type of challenge raised by Texas Democrats and their allies in Monday's case, but the high court is undergoing transition now.

Democrats claimed optimism following the announcement that the justices had agreed to hear arguments. "Today's Supreme Court action agreeing to take up the Texas case on Tom DeLay's illegal redistricting scheme is a hopeful sign that the voting rights of millions of minorities will be restored," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott countered, "After hearing the case, we expect the court will agree with the unanimous judgment of the three-judge federal court that the Texas redistricting plan is wholly constitutional."

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051212/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_texas_redistricting

[Demeter]

28. Think the Supremes Can Read Polls?

The answer is blowing in the wind. None of them are from Texas, are they?

[Lefty48197]

29. I have no faith in the Supreme Court

They are political captives of the Bush conspiracy. They have no freedom to vote with a conscience. The right-wing sheep among them are absolute failures as judges.

[villager]

30. I agree, but I'm surprised

they even assented to hearing the case.

[snippy]

33. It takes only four votes to decide to hear a case.

I wonder which Justices voted to hear this case. I can imagine a group of four who might want to use this case to gut the Voting Rights Act and think that Alito will be their fifth vote to do so.

[villager]

34. hmmm... to codify the gerrymandering, eh?

You could be right. Then it will be open season on districts everywhere, coupled with Diebold "vote" "counting" -- and they have their "permanent majority."

Until, of course, the gas runs out & the currency crashes...

[fshrink]

37. USC de facto became obsolete at

the very instant it issued its opinion on the Florida recount. On that day, this institution irreversibly disqualified itself from its constitutional function. End of story. It might take a hundred years to actually reform it, it still is obsolete now and for the future.

[wordpix]

42. how sadly true-more Bush apologists on there than true judges

[0007]

31. Rest assure that James A. Baker III will try and put his foot

in the door.

[villager]

32. can they suddenly decide *not* to review?

Doesn't it have to go forward at this point?

[0007]

38. I think it does have to fo forward at this point.

The Texas Supreme court was loaded with DeLay's buds.

[villager]

39. well, good. maybe.

Sure be interesting if they voided the districts with a decision announced late next spring -- right before the November elections....

[salin]

35. So what would happen if the SC ruled against the redistricting?

would new districts be drawn? by whom? would the old districts go back into effect for the next election?

[Wordie]

36. Yeah, that's what I would want to know. Would it void elections of those

(like Delay) that benefited from the illegal redistricting? Or would there be some other sort of penalty? Would they be able to impose some other, fairer re-districting method, fairer than the gerrymandering that takes place now? The possibilities are staggering.

This seems a really significant thing for the SC to do - to agree to hear this case.
I'm recommending this thread.

(One additional thought I had, although it is entirely (very wishful) speculation on my part:Maybe O'Conner has realized her mistake in the case of Bush v. Gore and wants to make amends!)

[Judi Lynn]

40. Demos, Republicans confident justices will see remap their way

Demos, Republicans confident justices will see remap their way

Web Posted: 12/13/2005 12:00 AM CST
Gary Scharrer
Express-News Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — Texas Democrats were optimistic Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a controversial redistricting case that put them on the run to neighboring states twice in 2003.

Republican leaders were confident the redrawing of the state's 32 congressional seats would withstand high court scrutiny.

Supreme Court rulings are virtually impossible to forecast, but Democrats and civil rights groups can take "a very positive sign" from the court's willingness to consider the case, University of Texas law professor Mitchell Berman said.

Justice Anthony Kennedy likely will be the key vote in the Texas redistricting case, Berman and others said. Kennedy has expressed some discomfort with extreme partisan gerrymandering, one of the issues the court wants to review in the Texas case.

"Another thing that leads people to suspect that the writing on the wall is unfavorable to the state of Texas is that the court did not ask the state for a brief," Berman said.
(snip/...)

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA121305.6A.SCOTUSAustin.d354e67.html

[wordpix]

41. redistricting should be by watershed; otherwise, there is no system - let

the direction of water flow determine the district! There would still be some room to gerrymander, but it wouldn't be as bad as it is now, which is: ANYTHING GOES as long as you have evildoers like DeLay in charge.

[against all enemies]

43. 5 to 4 ---Next.