The Rule of Law
Jun 22nd, 2006 at 11:08 am by Susie
I’m afraid to see what SCOTUS comes up with this time:
WASHINGTON — Republican Texas lawmakers didn’t like the electoral map that a federal court adopted after the 2000 census, so they redrew it — and gained six seats in the state’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.
As early as today, the U.S. Supreme Court could say whether that mid-decade redistricting, which former Rep. Tom DeLay orchestrated to solidify control of the House, is constitutional. If the answer is yes, the implications could be felt far beyond Texas as Democrats and Republicans rush to embrace the technique of strategically reallocating voters among congressional districts after each election.
“If the Supreme Court decides that it’s legal, not doing it would constitute a unilateral surrender,” says Howard Wolfson, a former executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Democrats see the necessity of fighting fire with fire.”
At the same time, Republicans could themselves export the tactic to other states they control. In Georgia, Republicans already have used mid-decade redistricting to dilute Democratic strength in the university town of Athens.
Ha! That’s hilarious! Especially when one remembers that the areas with the lowest population density are the red states. This will bite the repugs in the ass. It’s karma, babee!