Judge Rejects Ohio Demand for Faster Release of Census Data
The federal government’s failure to deliver 2020 census data by the end of the month won’t prevent Ohio from completing its redistricting process, a federal judge found.
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redistricting
Michigan Redistricting Commission Rules Fought at Sixth Circuit
Citizens excluded from serving on Michigan’s independent redistricting commission argued before an appeals panel that the state cannot draw arbitrary lines between levels of partisan activity to preclude eligibility.
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Texas Lawmakers Urged to Be Transparent in Redistricting
Due to census delays, Texas state lawmakers are expected to meet in a special session in the summer or fall to hammer out new district maps. But they are already getting an earful from Texans about how not to draw them.
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Georgia County Challenges Court-Ordered Redistricting
In a rural Georgia county where Black voters are outnumbered by whites 2 to 1 at the polls despite being the majority population, an 11th Circuit dug into the thorny question Wednesday of whether discrimination is the only explanation.
Read moreRedistricting Commission
A federal court in Michigan dismissed claims brought by the state’s Republican Party and 15 individuals challenging the constitutionality of eligibility restrictions for members of Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Individuals who sought or held public office in the past six years cannot serve on the commission.
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Census Delay Could Postpone Redistricting
The U.S. Census Bureau needs more time to wrap up the once-a-decade count because of the coronavirus, opening the possibility of delays in drawing new legislative districts that could help determine what political party is in power, what laws pass or fail and whether communities of color get a voice in their states.
Read moreMichigan Redistricting Commission Greenlit by the Sixth Circuit
A constitutional challenge to eligibility criteria for individuals who wish to serve on Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission was rejected by the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday when a panel affirmed a decision by a federal judge.
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Virginia’s Fight Against Gerrymandering Advances
Virginia’s hope for nonpartisanship in time for next year’s constitutionally mandated redistricting survived a state House committee vote Monday evening.
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Push for Redistricting Reform Still Alive in Virginia
Hopes for nonpartisan redistricting in Virginia got new life Friday morning even after Democratic leaders in the House of Delegates rolled back their once strong support.
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Wisconsin Governor Creates Nonpartisan Redistricting Panel
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor on Monday fulfilled his promise to create a nonpartisan board to draw new legislative maps following the 2020 census, bringing focus back to an issue that helped define partisan politics in the state and nationwide over the last decade.
Read moreFifth Circuit Hears Mississippi Redistricting Case
An attorney for Mississippi on Wednesday told the Fifth Circuit that the crux of a voter redistricting case comes down to whether black voters in a given district have a lesser chance of electing the candidates of their choice than the nonblack minority in the district.
Read moreGerrymandering Suit
The Fifth Circuit ruled against four white voters who sued Dallas County, claiming its 2011 redistricting plan for electing county commissioners was racially discriminatory because it provided only one “Anglo-majority district.” The court found the plaintiffs could not prove the plan amounted to “racial gerrymandering.”
Read moreCalifornia Appeals Court Upholds Election District Committee Law
Los Angeles County will be required to appoint a committee to redraw its voting district lines after a battle with California over the implementation of 2016 legislation that pushed a new method of determining the electoral boundaries.
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Panel Approves North Carolina US House Map for 2020
A three-judge panel in North Carolina ruled Monday that the state’s new congressional map can be used in the 2020 election, rejecting a challenge to the latest version drawn by Republican state lawmakers last month.
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Democrats’ Southern Victories Will Affect Redistricting
The re-election victory by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards over the weekend has assured Democrats of an all-important place at the table when political maps are redrawn after the 2020 census for elections to Congress and the state Legislature.
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Congressman Testifies in Alabama Gerrymandering Trial
In a trial to determine whether or not Alabama racially gerrymandered some of its congressional districts, U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne testified the four congressional maps proposed by the 10 black voters suing the state would “destroy” the ability of representatives to effectively serve their constituents.
Read moreNorth Carolina Judges Block Congressional Map Ahead of 2020 Elections
A three-judge-panel in North Carolina’s capital Monday blocked the state’s Republican-drawn congressional map from being used in the 2020 elections.
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House Approves Realignment of Judicial Districts in Arkansas
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to reduce the number of operating divisions in the Eastern District of Arkansas from five to three in a rare realignment of judicial lines, which was spurred by the 2017 closure of the only two federal courthouses in the two axed divisions.
Read morePrison Gerrymandering Suit Can Advance in Connecticut
The Second Circuit advanced a lawsuit Tuesday that challenges how Connecticut counts prisoners when it draws up legislative districts.
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