redistricting

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Judges Decide Election Can't Wait for Supreme Court

South Carolina will use congressional map already found to be unconstitutional

(Newser) - A federal court on Thursday ruled that this year's congressional elections in South Carolina will be held under a map that it had already deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory against Black voters, with time running out ahead of voting deadlines and a lack of a decision on the case by...

Wisconsin's Top Court Tosses GOP Redistricting Map

Justices will accept new legislative plans and have a consultant review them

(Newser) - The Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps on Friday and ordered that new district boundaries be drawn as Democrats had urged in a redistricting case they hope will weaken GOP majorities. The ruling comes less than a year before the 2024 election in a battleground state where four of...

NY Court's Decision Could Decide Control of the House

Court orders state to draw new congressional districts

(Newser) - New York's highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the US House. The 4-3 decision from the New York Court of Appeals could...

Judges Reject Redistricting Map Misnumbered by Republicans

Democrats call decision a victory for Tennessee's constitution

(Newser) - A Republican-drawn map for Tennessee's Senate seats violates the state Constitution because lawmakers incorrectly numbered the legislative districts in Democrat-leaning Nashville, affecting which years those seats are on the ballot, a panel of judges ruled Wednesday. The ruling centers on maps passed by the Republican-supermajority Legislature in 2022 during...

Dems Should Like Alabama's New Congressional Map

Black voters will have a majority or near-majority in 2 districts

(Newser) - Federal judges on Thursday selected new congressional lines for Alabama to give the Deep South state a second district where Black voters comprise a substantial portion of the electorate, the AP reports. The new map sets the stage for potentially flipping one US House of Representatives seat from Republican to...

Alabama's Congressional Map Is Again Rejected, With Scolding

Latest redistricting doesn't comply with court order on racial makeup, panel says

(Newser) - Federal judges threw out Alabama's newest attempt to redraw its congressional districts on Tuesday, chastising the state for not complying with the Voting Rights Act as mandated by a court order. The plan approved by the legislature provides for a single district that has, barely, a Black majority, the...

SCOTUS Delivers Big Voting Setback to GOP

6-3 ruling says states don't have absolute power to set federal election rules

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday put a major check on state powers when it comes to setting federal election rules. In its 6-3 ruling, one of the most closely watched of this term, the justices rejected the controversial "independent state legislature" doctrine , reports Politico . The doctrine, advanced by conservatives,...

Surprise SCOTUS Ruling Hands Victory to State's Black Voters

Decision orders creation of second Black-majority district in Alabama

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case, ordering the creation of a second district with a large Black population, per the AP . Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined with the court's liberals in...

In North Carolina, GOP Scores Big Court Wins

Rulings may give Republicans an edge in next congressional elections

(Newser) - In massive victories for Republicans, the North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday threw out a previous ruling against gerrymandered voting maps and upheld a photo voter identification law that colleagues had struck down as racially biased. The rulings likely give the GOP-controlled legislature the ability to rework the state's...

On Supreme Court Docket This Week: Big Elections Case

Decision on congressional maps in North Carolina could be wide-reaching

(Newser) - The Supreme Court is about to confront a new elections case, a Republican-led challenge asking the justices for a novel ruling that could significantly increase the power of state lawmakers over elections for Congress and the presidency. The court is set to hear arguments Wednesday in a case from North...

Supreme Court Heads Off Second Black District for State

Justices block lower court ruling over Voting Rights Act issues in Louisiana

(Newser) - The US Supreme Court on Tuesday put on hold a lower court ruling that Louisiana must draw new congressional districts before the 2022 elections to increase Black voting power. As a result, Louisiana's November congressional elections will be held using a Republican-drawn map with white majorities in five of...

Supreme Court Gives Democrats a Victory

Rejects GOP redistricting plans in NC, Pennsylvania

(Newser) - In a victory for Democrats, the Supreme Court has turned away efforts from Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania to block state court-ordered congressional districting plans, the AP reports. In separate orders late Monday, the justices are allowing maps selected by each state's Supreme Court to be in effect...

Justice Department Sues Texas Over New Maps

Attorney general says redrawn districts discriminate against minorities

(Newser) - The Department of Justice sued Texas over new redistricting maps Monday, saying the plans discriminate against voters in the state’s booming Latino and Black populations, per the AP . The lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Texas, claims the state violates part of the Voting Rights Act. It is...

GOP Rebuilds House Districts to Win for Years

New lines set up Republicans to take control next year

(Newser) - The redrawing of congressional district lines is not only giving Republicans a shot at flipping five or more House seats, it's taken another step toward making elections less competitive and the nation more divided. With approval ratings already down for President Biden and Democrats, the GOP could be unbeatable...

New York Lost a House Seat by Insanely Small Margin
New Yorkers Get a Lesson
on Returning Census Forms
the rundown
Apr 27, 2021 9:06 AM CDT

New Yorkers Get a Lesson on Returning Census Forms

If only 89 more people had returned 2020 forms, state would not have lost a House seat

(Newser) - New census numbers released Monday show that US population growth has slowed significantly in the last decade. The numbers also confirm that the population continues to shift to the West and the South and away from the Northeast and the Midwest, notes Intelligencer . A look at some of the other...

Census Moves House Seats to Texas, Florida

Republicans to benefit right away, but possibly not in the long run

(Newser) - The nation's political center of gravity shifted farther to the Republican-led South and West on Monday, with Texas, Florida, and other Sun Belt states gaining congressional seats while chillier climes like New York and Ohio lost them. Altogether, the US population rose to 331,449,281, the Census Bureau...

Judges Reject North Carolina Districts for 2020 Elections

GOP had said there was nothing wrong with drawing congressional lines to favor Republicans

(Newser) - North Carolina judges on Monday blocked the state's congressional map from being used in the 2020 elections, ruling that voters had a strong likelihood of winning a lawsuit that argued Republicans unlawfully manipulated district lines for partisan gain. The panel of three Superior Court judges issued a preliminary injunction...

Big Decision in Michigan Gerrymandering Case

Judges order state to redraw dozens of districts

(Newser) - Michigan must redraw dozens of congressional and legislative districts for the 2020 election because Republicans configured them to guarantee their political dominance over the last decade by unconstitutionally diluting the power of Democratic voters, federal judges ruled Thursday. In a 3-0 ruling—which will be appealed—the panel gave the...

'Fairness Formula' Could Redraw State's Voting Map

Missouri is using first-of-its-kind formula

(Newser) - The votes won't be cast for another four years, yet Democrats already appear likely to gain seats in Missouri's Republican-dominated Legislature in 2022. The reason: a one-of-its kind redistricting initiative approved by voters in the recent midterm elections. Missouri's initiative marks a new frontier in a growing...

In Blow to Democrats, Court Allows Texas Voting Maps

Supreme Court overrules lower court

(Newser) - A divided Supreme Court kept Texas' voting maps largely intact Monday, dealing an election-year blow to Democrats by reversing earlier findings that intentional racial discrimination continues to stain several statehouse and congressional districts. The 5-4 decision comes nine months after Democrats had celebrated lower court rulings that invalidated parts of...

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