A panel of federal judges truck down North Carolina's congressional map on Tuesday, condemning it as unconstitutional because Republicans had drawn the map seeking a political advantage.
The ruling was the first time that a federal court had blocked a congressional map because of a partisan gerrymander, and it instantly endangered Republican seats in the coming elections.
Judge James A. Wynn Jr., in a biting 191-page opinion, sad that Republicans in North Carolina's Legislature had been "motivated by invidious partisan intent" as they carried out their obligation in 2016 to divide the state into 13 congressional districts, 10 of which are held by Republicans. The result, Judge Wynn wrote, violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection.
The ruling and its chief demand-that the Republican-dominated Legislature create a new landscape of congressional districts by Jan. 24-infused new turmoil into the political chaos that has in recent years enveloped North Carolina. President Trump carried North Carolina in 2016, but the state elected a Democrat as its governor on the same day and in 2008 supported President Barack Obama.
The unusually blunt decision by the panel could lend momentum to two other challenges on gerrymandering that are already before the Supreme Court-and that the North Carolina case could join if Republicans make good on their vow to appeal Tuesday's ruling.
Fuck yes.
Here's hoping for a good ruling from the Supreme Court.
Full article linked to above.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
I don't know where we're at with Texas. The Supreme Court kicked it back once. But now there's another look being taken. IIRC, though on party lines, it was kicked back to have them make a case that it was racially motivated or some other such tripe. You can only hope that it's just so bad, even the GOP judges have to admit it terrible.
(ORDER LIST: 583 U.S.)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
ORDER IN PENDING CASE
17A745 RUCHO, ROBERT A., ET AL. V. COMMON CAUSE, ET AL.
The application for stay presented to The Chief Justice and
by him referred to the Court is granted, and it is ordered that
the order of the United States District Court for the Middle
District of North Carolina, case Nos. 1:16-CV-1026 and 1:16-CV-
1164, entered January 9, 2018, is stayed pending the timely
filing and disposition of an appeal in this Court.
Justice Ginsburg and Justice Sotomayor would deny the
application for stay.
So this bullshit probably won't get cleaned up prior to the midterms.
Доверяй, но проверяй
"Ugh. I hate agreeing with Zontargs." -- Alyrium Denryle
"What you are is abject human trash who is very good at dodging actual rule violations while still being human trash." -- Alyrium Denryle iustitia socialis delenda est
Disappointing, and hopefully not an indication that the Court will rule in favour of gerrymandering.
Still, its something to have this precedent on the books. But I think for 2018, we're just going to have to rely on overwhelming turnout and hostility to Trump to carry the day.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
