Sat Mar 11, 2017, 07:47 AM

Federal panel rules some of Texas' congressional districts illegal

Source: Texas Tribune

Some of Texas’ 36 congressional districts violate either the U.S. Constitution or the federal Voting Rights Act, a panel of federal judges ruled Friday.

In a long-delayed ruling, the judges ruled 2-1 that the Texas Legislature must redraw the political maps it most recently used for the 2016 elections.

Specifically, they pointed to Congressional District 23, which stretches from San Antonio to El Paso, takes in most of the Texas-Mexico border and is represented by Republican Will Hurd of Helotes; Congressional District 27, represented by Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi; and Congressional District 35, a Central Texas district represented by Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin.

The 166-page ruling by the San Antonio-based district was the latest in a complicated case that dates back to 2011, and comes just two election cycles away from the next U.S. Census — when the state would draw a new map under normal circumstances.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/10/federal-panel-rules-texas-congressional-districts-illegal/

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6 replies	Author	Time	Post
Federal panel rules some of Texas' congressional districts illegal (Original post)	highplainsdem	Mar 2017	OP
This is a positive step!	lastlib	Mar 2017	#1
Republicans don't give two sh*ts about the Constitution or fairness	SHRED	Mar 2017	#2
So shouldn't that render the election results invalid, at least as affected by those districts?	Crash2Parties	Mar 2017	#3
Essentially it is a loss	Valhallakey	Mar 2017	#4
This is just the ruling on congressional districts	Gothmog	Mar 2017	#5
Out here Tx. easy to see how Republicans gerrymander the maps to cut out neighborhoods.	Sunlei	Mar 2017	#6

Response to highplainsdem (Original post)

Sat Mar 11, 2017, 09:14 AM

lastlib (17,042 posts)

1. This is a positive step!

We'll take a win any time! Peresverance, we WILL win this fight, because it's about basic fairness versus unbridled greed and power-lust.

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Response to highplainsdem (Original post)

Sat Mar 11, 2017, 10:44 AM

SHRED (28,136 posts)

2. Republicans don't give two sh*ts about the Constitution or fairness

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Response to highplainsdem (Original post)

Sat Mar 11, 2017, 11:02 AM

Crash2Parties (1,450 posts)

3. So shouldn't that render the election results invalid, at least as affected by those districts?

This is what, the third or fourth such state now?

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Response to highplainsdem (Original post)

Sat Mar 11, 2017, 12:12 PM

Valhallakey (70 posts)

4. Essentially it is a loss

If the districts basically stay in place until the next census, because of the slow wheel of justice then we loose. Justice delayed is justice denied.

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Response to highplainsdem (Original post)

Sat Mar 11, 2017, 01:17 PM

Gothmog (91,251 posts)

5. This is just the ruling on congressional districts

The court issued over 600 pages of rulings just on US congressional districts. The court has yet to rule on Texas state house seats.

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Response to highplainsdem (Original post)

Sun Mar 12, 2017, 07:53 AM

Sunlei (22,647 posts)

6. Out here Tx. easy to see how Republicans gerrymander the maps to cut out neighborhoods.

ger·ry·man·der

/ˈjerēˌmandər/

verb

verb: gerrymander; 3rd person present: gerrymanders; past tense: gerrymandered; past participle: gerrymandered; gerund or present participle: gerrymandering; verb: jerrymander; 3rd person present: jerrymanders; past tense: jerrymandered; past participle: jerrymandered; gerund or present participle: jerrymandering

1.

manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.

•achieve (a result) by manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency.
"a total freedom to gerrymander the results they want"

noun

noun: gerrymander; plural noun: gerrymanders; noun: jerrymander; plural noun: jerrymanders

1.

an instance of gerrymandering.

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