All articles tagged with #partisan gerrymandering
California and Texas are nearing final approval of new congressional maps driven by partisan redistricting efforts, with Texas aiming to add five Republican-leaning seats and California considering a voter-approved plan, both influenced by President Trump's push for favorable district configurations amid political battles and legal challenges.
Consultants hired by the Wisconsin Supreme Court found that legislative maps proposed by GOP lawmakers and conservative voters are partisan gerrymanders, while four Democratic proposals largely meet the court's criteria, including being politically neutral. The consultants did not recommend a superior Democratic proposal but noted that the GOP and conservative maps fell short on partisan neutrality. Both GOP maps were criticized for precluding Democrats from winning control of the Legislature, while the Democratic proposals were found to create a competitive environment and improve on traditional good government criteria. The parties have until Feb. 8 to file a response to the consultants' report.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority appears likely to uphold a Republican-drawn congressional district in South Carolina that a lower court found was racially gerrymandered. The case tests the legal limits of partisan gerrymandering when it intersects with race, with the NAACP accusing Republican lawmakers of drawing the district by shuffling Black voters in and out to make it reliably Republican. The conservative justices expressed doubts about the evidence presented at the lower court, suggesting that race was not the predominant factor in drawing the lines. This case is the latest test of how the courts will handle the intersection of racial and partisan gerrymandering.
The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to racially gerrymandered congressional maps in South Carolina, which could have significant implications for voting rights. The lower court found that the state's Republican legislature excluded Black voters from the First Congressional District to maintain Republican control. This case comes after the Court's surprising decision last year to strike down an Alabama gerrymander, indicating a potential shift in its stance on voting rights. The legal issue in this case is whether the Court will follow existing law and affirm the lower court's decision to strike down the gerrymandered maps. South Carolina argues that the maps were drawn for partisan, not racial, reasons, but this admission could be seen as a violation of the First Amendment. While the Court is unlikely to rule against partisan gerrymandering, there is still a chance that South Carolina could lose based on existing law and factual determinations.
The Utah Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the constitutionality of Utah's congressional districts, which were drawn by the majority-Republican Legislature. Plaintiffs, including the League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government, argue that the districts were intentionally designed to dilute the liberal vote by splitting Salt Lake County into four parts. The Legislature and Attorney General's office are seeking dismissal, claiming that the courts lack the power to consider such complaints. The justices did not issue a decision, and it may take several months before a ruling is made.
North Carolina's state Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Republicans, throwing out previous rulings that had declared illegal both redistricting maps for excessive partisanship and a Voter ID law for being infected with racial bias. The ruling has garnered ire from Democrats, other politicians, and organizations while Republicans celebrated the ruling.
North Carolina's newly conservative majority Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday about the power to set the state's internal political boundaries. The court is taking up the question of fairness of the state's maps after the makeup of the court changed last November. Three key North Carolina justices signaled a degree of hostility to the arguments brought by attorneys representing the groups that defended the current congressional maps in the state. If the case breaks their way, Republicans in the state could put a new map in place that would have 11 Republican-leaning districts and three Democratic-leaning ones.