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Posted on 11/29/2001 7:19:07 AM PST by Dog Gone

Federal panel rules for redistricting plan

Decision will shift power to GOP

AUSTIN -- A three-judge federal panel dealt a major blow to Texas Democrats on Wednesday by adopting redistricting maps that will give Republicans control of the Legislature after next year's elections.

The federal court upheld a state Senate map drawn by a Republican majority on the Legislative Redistricting Board.

The court also approved most of the LRB's map for the Texas House, making changes only to fix four Hispanic districts that the U.S. Department of Justice said violated federal Voting Rights Act protections.

The court's map retains Harris County's 25 House districts, but makes it unlikely that Democratic Houston Reps. Fred Bosse, Scott Hochberg and Debra Danburg can win re-election.

The redistricting ruling can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but lawyers for both political parties agreed that the districts ordered Wednesday likely will be in effect for next year's election.

By closely following the LRB maps, the court will cause a dramatic shift in legislative power from the Democrats to the Republicans. Candidate filing for next year's elections begins Monday.

The current 78-72 Democratic majority in the Texas House will evaporate as 85 to 90 Republicans are expected to win seats in the 150-member chamber under the maps ordered by the federal court.

And the GOP majority could grow to as many as 20 seats in the 31-member Senate.

This past legislative session the GOP held a 16-15 Senate majority. A special election runoff Tuesday will fill a seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Tom Haywood, R-Wichita Falls.

The Senate map will not dramatically affect Harris County representation. But Republican District 17 now will stretch from Fort Bend County to the Louisiana line, causing Democratic District 4 to become Republican. That angered many blacks in Beaumont and Port Arthur.

Hispanics and blacks had sought additional legislative seats in the lawsuits, but the court ruled neither group's population had grown within a compact enough geographic area to justify any new minority seats.

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The legislative ruling comes just two weeks after the same three-judge panel gave Democrats a dramatic victory by ordering a congressional redistricting plan that likely will result in a 17-15 Democratic majority in the state's congressional delegation after next year's elections. Republicans had hoped to get 20 of the state's 32 districts.

But in delivering the Legislature to Republicans, the federal court has given the GOP an opportunity to make that Democratic victory short-lived.

A GOP legislative majority could redraw the congressional lines in 2003 and put Republicans in position to win a congressional delegation majority in the 2004 elections.

The partisan tilt of a political district can be manipulated by drawing district lines that include voting precincts that heavily favor one party or another.

The federal panel comprised 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Patrick Higginbotham of Dallas, a Republican, and U.S. District Judges John T. Ward and John Hannah Jr., both Tyler Democrats.

The Legislative Redistricting Board, made up of five top state officials, took over the state Capitol redistricting process after the Legislature failed to pass plans for the House and Senate. The court handled congressional redistricting for the same reason.

State Attorney General John Cornyn, Comptroller Carole Rylander and Land Commissioner David Dewhurst drew the LRB's House and Senate maps. House Speaker Pete Laney, a Democrat, and Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, a Republican, objected to the maps.

"Our goal was to produce maps that comply with the law and preserve minority voting rights," Cornyn said. "Today's rulings show that the LRB was successful in achieving these goals."

Texas Republican Chairman Susan Weddington praised the court for mostly upholding the LRB maps. She also criticized Laney as one of the parties who tried to overturn the LRB in court.

"The court ensured justice and fairness for the people of Texas by rejecting the extreme arguments of Speaker Pete Laney," Weddington said.

The LRB redrew Laney's Panhandle legislative district to make it difficult for him to win re-election to the House. And the partisan shift will make it almost impossible for him to win another term as speaker. The speaker is selected by the House membership.

Republicans Tom Craddick of Midland, Brian McCall of Plano and Edmund Kuempel of Seguin already have announced as candidates for speaker. Laney said he still intends to seek a sixth term as speaker.

"The court's map does not change my plans to seek re-election to the House or another term as speaker," Laney said.

Laney had blasted the House maps as a Republican power grab during the final LRB meeting in July.

Texas Democratic Chairwoman Molly Beth Malcolm continued with that theme Wednesday, saying the GOP used redistricting to gain seats they could not win in elections.

"The new House map does not guarantee Republicans a status they still have failed to earn," Malcolm said. "The Republicans may have underestimated the voters' ability to see through their antics on redistricting."

.........Congratulations to Attorney General John Cornyn!......

Welll is that soon to be Senator Cornyn?..... LOL it surely can't hurt his attempt...

Houston Freepers don't forget........

Orlando Sanchez for mayor

......Be sure and vote......

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