July 14 deadline set on redistricting plans
AUSTIN — A federal panel gave both sides in Texas’ redistricting fight two weeks to propose fixes to a vast south and west Texas congressional district whose borders were ruled unconstitutional this week by the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge T. John Ward set oral arguments in the case for Aug. 3 in Austin. Proposed changes to the map are due to the court by July 14, and the responses, a week later.
For Tom DeLay’s now-(partially)discredited redistricting map to become law took several months of wrangling, and two grand exits by Democrats. Now, a federal judge is giving the state TWO WHOLE WEEKS to cobble together an alternative to fix south and west Texas. Now this I’m going to have to see to believe.
Perhaps Judge Ward knows something I don’t, but the idea of Texas legislators reaching consensus on changing the state’s Congressional districts within two weeks seems to rank up there with things like curing cancer, winning the war in Iraq, or the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. (OK, Alex, how about “Things that are patently impossible?”)
It’s not as if the fate of 100,000 Hispanic voters are going to alter the course of history, but it is nice to have at least a minimal recognition that DeLay’s redistricting was illegal. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess, but at least we don’t have to wait long to find out what happens next.
The Supreme Court upheld most of the pro-Republican Texas congressional map, but tossed the 23rd Congressional District, which stretches from San Antonio to Laredo and west almost to El Paso and remanded its redrawing to a three-judge panel.
The GOP-controlled Legislature redrew the map in 2003 to put more Republicans in office….
The court objected to 100,000 Hispanics living in Webb County being shifted into a neighboring district. Putting those largely Democratic voters in the 28th Congressional District gave Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla an advantage.
“We want to be sure that Latino voters have a voice in congressional elections in this state,” said Nina Perales, the MALDEF attorney who argued the portion of the redistricting case that was upheld by the Supreme Court. “We’re going to be proposing a plan that allows Latino voters to express their preferences in future congressional elections.”
Good luck with that one. The Texas Congressional map looks like a jigsaw puzzle on an acid trip as it is. To make the Court happy, it’s going to require even more demographic juggling. To think that anything resembling any sort of consensus can be reached in two weeks is so unrealistic as to be almost criminal. Nonetheless, it’s not as if there’s much of an option. With an election coming up in less than five months, there’s much legwork to be done if and/or new districts are drawn. Somehow, I think a lot of political types in this state will be losing a lot of sleep over the next couple of weeks.
Cry me a river….
