Jazz Shaw
HotAir.com
1/10/2012
The dust still hasn’t fully settled from the 2010 census, particularly in terms of the redistricting fights going on around the country. One particular battle which is taking on a serious sense of urgency is happening in Texas, (Perry v. Perez) and this week it was tossed into the lap of the United States Supreme Court. This is a pretty complex story, because the date for the Texas primary is fast approaching (and moving) and the case still isn’t settled as to what the map will be which accommodates the 4 new congressional seats they picked up as their population expanded.
Texas did create a new district map which was signed off on by Rick Perry. But because they fall under the restrictions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) the map can not be implemented until it receives “preclearance” through either a federal court or the Department of Justice to ensure that it is “free of racial and ethnic discrimination.” Texas sent their new map to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to request preclearance, but at the same time, private plaintiffs brought suit in Texas saying the map discriminated on the basis of race.
As I said, it gets very complex from there, but at The Atlantic, Garret Epps offers a long, detailed, and understandable review of the current status. He also explains why the Supremes might choose to toss the case back to the lower courts rather than weigh in on a messy fight over the status of the VRA…
The article continues at HotAir.com
