CitizenVectron Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/supreme-court-will-rule-gerrymandering-md-and-nc/579550/ Quote The Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to take up partisan gerrymandering cases from North Carolina and Maryland brought to mind a saying attributed to Judy Garland: Behind every cloud is another cloud. Quote The now-firmly conservative Court likely took the cases not to announce that such activities violate the Constitution, but to reverse the lower courts that said they do. Down the road, the Court may do much more damage, including by preventing states from using independent commissions to draw congressional districts. That’s not the only cloud on the horizon when it comes to the Court and redistricting. In a 2015 case out of Arizona, as I explained in more detail in a blog post for the Harvard Law Review, Kennedy joined in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s majority opinion holding that voters have the right to use a ballot initiative to establish independent redistricting commissions. But the Arizona legislature convinced Roberts—along with three conservatives—that because the Constitution gives the power to set congressional election rules to state “legislatures,” voters acting through the initiative process had unlawfully usurped legislative power. Roberts wrote an impassioned dissent. If SCOTUS ever rules either in favour of partisan gerrymandering (or against independent commissions) then the US is truly done for. The GOP can cement a permanent minority-rule in most of the states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Oh, there is no doubt in my mind that the commissions will be struck down by this SCOTUS . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinIon Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 It's the Trump administration motto: A new day, a new horror. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, TwinIon said: It's the Trump administration motto: A new day, a new horror. The independent commissions would be struck down by any conservative-leaning court appointed with Justices appointed by any Republican president Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 34 minutes ago, SFLUFAN said: The independent commissions would be struck down by any conservative-leaning court appointed with Justices appointed by any Republican president But Merrick Garland doe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbiggsly Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 2 hours ago, SFLUFAN said: Oh, there is no doubt in my mind that the commissions will be struck down by this SCOTUS . Time to start supporting your favorite strongman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinIon Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Something worth mentioning: So even if SCOTUS does strike down independent commissions, we might at least still have them for state legislators, who would again end up drawing the lines for congressional districts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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