"WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld most of the Republican-boosting Texas congressional map engineered by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay but threw out part, saying some of the new boundaries failed to protect minority voting rights.
The fractured decision was a small victory for Democratic and minority groups who accused Republicans of an unconstitutional power grab in drawing boundaries that booted four Democratic incumbents from office."
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Illustration credit: MSNBC
Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Executive Director of the Campaign Legal Center & Counsel for the Texas Congressional Democrats in the Texas Redistricting Lawsuits
"Today’s decision shows this was a challenge worth bringing. The fact that nine Justices filed six different opinions, each with subparts, says a lot about how splintered and difficult these issues were for the Court. Ultimately, justice and fairness is always a goal worth pursuing, and the fact that the Court found the map violated the rights of Latino voters in South Texas shows the fight was worth it.
This case was never about officeholders or incumbents, it wasn’t even about Democrats and Republicans. It was about protecting the voting rights of all Texans, particularly minority voters.
I am disappointed the Court did not find that a mid-decade redistricting done solely for partisan gain was unconstitutional. This case was as extreme example as one could find of raw partisan politics motivating a redistricting. The State admitted it, the lower court found it to be the motive, and yet the Court says today that replacing a perfectly valid map in mid-decade solely for partisan gain is permissible under the Constitution.
This decision opens the floodgates for partisan redistricting. The Court has essentially ceded the field for the judiciary, and state legislatures have largely been given a free hand to do what they will with Congressional districts. Let the redistricting festivals begin. Today’s decision points to the very serious need for meaningful redistricting reform so that independent commissions, and not partisan gerrymandering politicians, get to draw the lines."
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