A panel of three federal judges has blocked Texas from using a new congressional map that Republicans drew in hopes of picking up five U.S. House seats.
No, because while racial gerrymandering is illegal because race is a protected class, political gerrymandering is not because political affiliation is not a protected class.
More specifically: staunchly Republican supporting areas tends to lean heavily white, while staunchly Democratic supporting areas tend to be much more cosmopolitan and racially heterogeneous. This had pretty obvious implications on the legal viability of gerrymandering towards the right in our one-dimensional political system - assuming, of course, anyone actually gives a shit about court orders and precedent, which the current regime (and I lump the Texas state government in with them) kinda doesn’t, so who fucking knows.
To be fair, the GOP is running the same play in CA. They’re claiming CA’s gerrymandering is racial and needs to be halted.
This case is good because, if it goes to the SCOTUS, they can’t throw it out without also throwing out what the GOP is pushing for in CA. Or, if they try to throw it out, they’re going to need some expert level mental gymnastics.
100%.
The GOP is absolutely going to try to find some sort of silly reason why the two cases should be different.
Probably something a stupid about disenfranchising more districts with in-n-out burgers, and the cups contain bible verses on them, so religious discrimination.
No, because while racial gerrymandering is illegal because race is a protected class, political gerrymandering is not because political affiliation is not a protected class.
More specifically: staunchly Republican supporting areas tends to lean heavily white, while staunchly Democratic supporting areas tend to be much more cosmopolitan and racially heterogeneous. This had pretty obvious implications on the legal viability of gerrymandering towards the right in our one-dimensional political system - assuming, of course, anyone actually gives a shit about court orders and precedent, which the current regime (and I lump the Texas state government in with them) kinda doesn’t, so who fucking knows.
To be fair, the GOP is running the same play in CA. They’re claiming CA’s gerrymandering is racial and needs to be halted.
This case is good because, if it goes to the SCOTUS, they can’t throw it out without also throwing out what the GOP is pushing for in CA. Or, if they try to throw it out, they’re going to need some expert level mental gymnastics.
You are referring to Olympic level mental gymnasts FYI.
100%. The GOP is absolutely going to try to find some sort of silly reason why the two cases should be different.
Probably something a stupid about disenfranchising more districts with in-n-out burgers, and the cups contain bible verses on them, so religious discrimination.