U.S. top court tosses Republican-drawn North Carolina voting districts
Source: Reuters
Mon May 22, 2017 10:29am EDT
By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Republicans in North Carolina unlawfully took race into consideration when drawing congressional district boundaries, concentrating black voters in a bid to diminish their overall political clout.
The justices upheld a lower court's February 2016 ruling that threw out two majority-black U.S. House of Representatives districts because Republican lawmakers improperly used race as a factor when redrawing the legislative map after the 2010 census. The court was unanimous on upholding the ruling on one of the districts and split 5-3 on the other, with three conservatives dissenting.
The decision came in one of a number of lawsuits accusing Republicans of taking steps at the state level to disenfranchise black and other minority voters who tend to back Democratic candidates.
Critics accused Republicans of cramming black voters into what the NAACP civil rights group called "apartheid voting districts" to diminish their voting power and make surrounding districts more white and more likely to support Republicans. Both districts are held by the Democrats. Of North Carolina's 13 representatives in the U.S. House, 10 are Republican.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-voters-idUSKBN18I1SG?il=0
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Supreme Court strikes down NC districts as illegally based on race
BY LYDIA WHEELER - 05/22/17 10:38 AM EDT
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that North Carolina illegally packed black voters into two voting districts.
In a 5-3 ruling, the justices affirmed the decision of a lower court. That ruling said North Carolina officials used race as the predominant factor in drawing district lines without a compelling reason when they created two districts the 1st District and the 12th District with majority-black voting-age populations. Both of those districts are represented by Democrats; Rep. G.K. Butterfield represents the 1st District, while Rep. Alma Adams represents the 12th District.
Although States enjoy leeway to take race-based actions reasonably judged necessary under a proper interpretation of the Voting Rights Act, that latitude cannot rescue District 1," Justice Elena Kagan said in delivering the opinion of the court.
We by no means insist that a state legislature, when redistricting, determine precisely what percent minority population demands. But neither will we approve a racial gerrymander whose necessity is supported by no evidence and whose raison dêtre is a legal mistake.
more
http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/334529-supreme-court-strikes-down-nc-districts-as-illegally-based-on-race
DK504
(3,847 posts)Thanks John Roberts...you and you pals are doing a bang up fucking up America. Will you overturn today's ruling?
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)My first thought is, how may this affect 2018? Waiting for analysis, but regardless of 2018, for sure this is very, very bad news for Republicans.
And then there's this:
sinkingfeeling
(51,461 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,013 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,142 posts)Based on registered voters in either party, the PA delegation should be 10 Democrats - 8 Republicans or at least 9/9, instead of the current 13 Republicans - 5 Democrats (with 3 of them being in or mostly including the city of Philadelphia).
The most egregious - PA-7 was drawn all around smaller urban areas and suburbs with larger minority populations, to create a multi-tentacled monstrosity -
J_William_Ryan
(1,755 posts)This sort of rightwing racism comes as no surprise, of course.
procon
(15,805 posts)Chief Justice Roberts thought the country had changed so significantly that a bunch of Southern states no longer needed to be monitored. There was no discrimination, everything was wonderful, so go ahead and draw up crazy redistricting maps without federal approval... we trust you white guys, really.
IronLionZion
(45,463 posts)Just one more Democratic appointee and we would still have it
Roland99
(53,342 posts)HUGH even!
Javaman
(62,531 posts)Shrek
(3,981 posts)Not sure what to make of that but it seems noteworthy.
Tiggeroshii
(11,088 posts)JudyM
(29,251 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)so we don't know if he'll work Scalia-like magic on Thomas yet.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)surprise, for sure. Was it just so obviously racist that he couldn't do it, dementia, or is he showing independence. Maybe, he's decided he has to follow someone else now...why not Kagan. It would be great if he wanted to change his legacy or he realizes our democracy is at stake, and he is standing up.
I had heard he wanted to retire, which would be unfortunate, since DT will appoint a younger RWer.
CRK7376
(2,199 posts)Including Justice Thomas, which I am shocked voted to end racial gerrymandering in my state. Now to clean out our State House and Senate and stop being the state of STUPID!
NCjack
(10,279 posts)octoberlib
(14,971 posts)it made when Trump was elected and again when Gorsuch was confirmed. The NCGOP was celebrating so it's heartening to see this was unanimous. Probably felt guilty over their VRA votes. They also declined to hear a case restricting soft money political donations, letting the ruling by a lower court stand.
DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)nt
Turbineguy
(37,353 posts)How are republicans supposed to win?