Pennsylvania Case Could Affect Texas

News and Opinion for Democrats Against Bush - Part I b

Pennsylvania Case Could Affect Texas

' "I am convinced that the Supreme Court took the Pennsylvania case because of what's happening in Texas," said Nathaniel Persily. ' --as reported in the Star-Telegram

Note: This case is known as "Vieth v. Jubelirer (02-1580) "

Star-Telegram (Texas)

Posted on Sun, Dec. 07, 2003

Pennsylvania redistricting case could affect one in Texas

By Maria Recio
Star-Telegram Washington Bureau

Quote--

WASHINGTON - Texas has been the national focus of redistricting battles this year, but the spotlight will be on Pennsylvania on Wednesday, when the U.S. Supreme Court hears a redistricting case about political gerrymandering, with Democrats challenging the map drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature. ...

Maria Recio, (202) 383-6103 mrecio@krwashington.com

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/legislature/7436338.htm

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Complaints about lines likely to fail

By LAUGHLIN McDONALD
Special to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/17/2004

The complete article may be available at-- http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0304/17equal.html

Excerpt--

Regardless of what one thinks of the House and Senate redistricting plans issued this week by a federal three-judge panel, the February decision by those judges invalidating the previous districts could likely be reversed on appeal by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that partisan gerrymandering might violate the Fourteenth Amendment, but only when a plan "will consistently degrade a voter's or a group of voters' influence on the political process as a whole."

In practice, the "consistently degrade" standard has proved so difficult to meet that it has become dead-letter law. ...

Laughlin McDonald is Southeast regional director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

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