Damn, if we can get this redistricting overturned now we could go back to the old districts created in 2000 and possibly get 5-6 of the 15 necessary democratic seats to help retake the house
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/12/AR2005121200415.htmlJustices To Review DeLay-Led Districting
Texas Plan Has Been Called Discriminatory
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 13, 2005; Page A01
The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to consider the legality of Texas's 2003 congressional redistricting plan, which was engineered by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and helped cement GOP control of the House.
The court will hear challenges from Democrats and minority groups who say that the mid-decade redistricting unlawfully diluted the strength of minority voters, injected undue partisanship into the congressional map and violated the concept of one person, one vote by drawing district lines with outdated census data.
Justice Department lawyers initially recommended rejecting Texas's plan, saying it would harm black and Hispanic voters, but were overruled by senior Justice officials. A special three-judge panel has upheld the redistricting map in two rulings.
Election law experts said the justices' acceptance of the case suggests that they may be prepared to craft clearer guidelines for politicians to follow when redrawing congressional maps. "It could be that a majority is ready to impose new standards," said Richard L. Hasen, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who teaches election law.<<<<more>>>>