RNC begins as court rules Texas GOP leaders violated U.S. 'Voting Rights Act'

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Examiner

RNC begins as court rules Texas GOP leaders violated U.S. 'Voting Rights Act'
Repubican Convention
August 29, 2012
By: Patricia Lantz

On Tuesday August 28, 2012, just as the Republican National Convention got underway, Federal judges struck down Texas lawmakers' plans for new congressional and state legislative districts, finding the maps were designed to discriminate against minorities.

After months of deliberation, a three-judge Federal District Court panel in Washington, DC has ruled that the redistricting maps adopted by the Texas Legislature last year violate the US Voting Rights Act. The Court determined that Texas Republican leaders enacted maps that reduced the opportunity for minority voters in Texas to elect their candidates of choice. The court also ruled that the Legislature used a process that was intentionally discriminatory in adopting the Congressional and State Senate maps.

Luis Vera, attorney for the League of United Latin American Citizens (one of several minority rights groups who sued the state over the new maps), said: "The three-judge panel unanimously found intentional discrimination across the state. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it,"

At one point the presiding judge, Rosemary Collyer , even said: "It's really hard to explain (changes to the map) other than doing it on the basis of reducing minority votes."


Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/rnc-begins-as-court-rules-texas-gop-leaders-violated-u-s-voting-rights-act

[freshwest]

1. GOP answer to the pesky peasants: Throw out the Voting Rights Act!

[leftyohiolib]

2. now it's off to scotus for a another 5-4 victory

[harmonicon]

3. Fuck yeah!!

That's the kind of shit that I like to see. Of course, I imagine that our Supreme Court would overturn such a ruling...

In any case, I'm a bit baffled that this sort of thing isn't issue #1 for the Democratic party. I wish the party would back blind, or at the very least impartial, redistricting. I've read people on here reason that the party shouldn't do that, because it gives Democratic legislatures the chance to draw the lines to their liking when they're in power. That argument has always seemed to me to basically be saying, "if they can be totally immoral assholes with no real concern for democracy, so should we."

*sigh* Am I just shouting into the wind here?

[oldsarge54]

4. From Texas

No, we libs are outnumbered by big oil, religious right, and old time democrats relabled as Republicans when they took away the poll tax.

[defacto7]

5. the article states....

" Whether or not the decision will have any bearing on the 2012 general election will take a while to sort out."

That means, no.

[wordpix]

6. excellent! Now count on the repugs to continue to prevent DC from voting rights

They hate such a liberal city but still, they flock to live there.