Federal court invalidates part of Texas congressional map

Texas Tribune ^ | 8/15/2017 | Alexa Ura and Jim Malewitz

[SpeedyInTexas]

Federal judges have invalidated two Texas congressional districts, ruling that they must be fixed by either the Legislature or a federal court.

[SpeedyInTexas]

"In Tuesday’s ruling, the judges called it a 'Latino opportunity district.' "

Got to love it when judges decide that a congressional district should be represented by a Latino (or any specific race).

[Herman Ball]

THe Democrat Party is owned by The ABA!

[Herman Ball]

THe Democrat Party is owned by The ABA!

[jjotto]

Relax. The net effect of guaranteed minority districts is that more districts trend Republican.

[ncalburt]

Texas Tribune is a Soros funded far left propaganda non profit blog started by a Austin Ex Calif left wing nutter .

Its mostly twisted lies and BS .

[stylin19a]

something in this article doesn't makes sense.

Before Tuesday’s decision, the judges had already ruled the Texas Legislature sought to weaken the strength of Latino and black voters — a population more likely to choose Democrats — while drawing House and congressional districts in 2011, immediately following the 2010 U.S. Census. But the 2011 maps never actually took effect.

Amid legal wrangling over the Legislature’s maps, the court drew temporary maps ahead of the 2012 elections. Texas lawmakers in 2013 formally adopted those maps and have used them for the past three election cycles.

On Tuesday, the court ruled that the intentional discrimination behind the 2011 maps carried over into the 2013 map in places like CD-35 and CD-27, where the district boundaries were unchanged "because the Legislature engaged in no deliberative process to remove any such taint..

[unread]

Looks like they're a bunch of racist bastards... Oh wait, I forgot, only white people can be racist...

[SpeedyInTexas]

In general, you are right.

However, in the 2 districts the court invalidated, one is currently held by a Republican. That district could be in jeopardy.

The other district is held by Dem. Doggett. It is overwhelmingly a Dem district. Redrawing the district would likely push some Dem voters into nearby districts making those districts more competitive.

[taxcontrol]

Eight simple rules for deciding congressional districts.

1) Determine the number of districts needed.
2) Divided the number of registered voters by the number of districts required
3) Create a list of cities or counties that contain more than the number of voters/district from #2
3) Starting at the steps of the city/county capital building, draw a circle large enough to encompass the number of registered voters determined in #2 and create a draft district
4) Subtract the number of voters/district from the city and sort/reorder the list.
5) Repeat until there are no more cities/counties on the list
6) Align the district edges, starting with the first district created, to the boundaries of cities. Allow a variance of +/- 5% of the voter/district requirement
7) If a district can’t be easily aligned to city boundaries, align by zipcodes, then by streets, then by rivers or streams.
8) The last district is the “all others” district that covers the rural counties.

[taxcontrol]

Yeah, that one left me scratching my head as well.

[SpeedyInTexas]

“2) Divided the number of registered voters by the number of districts required”

Makes sense right? But, this has been shot down by the courts. Districts are not drawn to registered voters, but by population. The population will include children, illegal aliens, etc.

From 2016: “SCOTUS Rules Districts Be Drawn by Total Population, Not Voter Numbers”
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2016/04/scotus-rules-that-districts-be-drawn-by-population-not-voter-numbers/476787/

Need revised SCOTUS judges for this to happen.

[a fool in paradise]

Look at the “district” that ties Kingwood (north of north Houston) with Clearlake (south of south Houston) connected by a highway (or ‘ditch) through the entire city.

Can’t have suburban white guys in tech and industrial fields diluting the voting bloc of regional minorities near those districts.

[taxcontrol]

Yeah I know.
I would love to see a situation arise where the GOP had 2/3rds majorities in Congress and the White House. Then perhaps a few strategic Constitutional amendments could be passed

1) Require states to have a bicameral (senate and house) legislature with the senate districts being based on the counties and the house districts based on population. In essence, mirror the construct of the Federal legislature

2) Require the above mentioned rules for apportionment of us senate districts. Similar rules for apportionment of house districts but based on population.

3) Establish the district electoral college method

4) apportion taxes to the states on a per representative basis and use last years spend number as revenue target.

5) Restrict the voting rolls for federal office to only US citizens with proof of citizenship required at registration, no automatic registration of any kind, and purge the federal voter rolls 30 days after the inauguration of the President.

6) Prohibit the consideration of ANY cannon or law for the US Jurisprudence that is not directly derived from the US Constitution

sigh
A fellow can dream can’t he?

[deport]

Keep in mind that Houston is the home of Shelia Jackson Lee. They have designed her
district such that it wonders all over but gets her the votes needed for election.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Every state decision has to be cross-examined by the feds.

And the worst thing about this is that it is usually individuals within the state that are asking for the federal intrusion.

So you have individuals who are for centralizing government using the federal courts to nullify state rule.

These individuals should either move to DC or the state should be allowed to kick them out.

[SSS Two]

Court (2012): “Your Congressional districts were illegally drawn and unconstitutional. You will use these maps that we’ve drawn.”

Texas (2013): “Fine. We’ll use your maps.”

Court (2018): “Those maps are unconstitutional, too. You intentionally used those unconstitutional maps because you thought they were okay because we told you to use them. That proves your racist intent.”