U.S. panel orders proposals for Texas remap due July 14

[Judi Lynn]

June 30, 2006, 2:37AM
U.S. panel orders proposals for Texas remap due July 14
Action spurred by court decision that District 23 violates rights

By R.G. RATCLIFFE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - A federal court Thursday gave parties in the Texas redistricting lawsuit until July 14 to submit proposals on how to redraw congressional districts in South Texas in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that one district violates minority voting rights.

The three-judge panel's order signaled that the court plans to take charge of revamping the state's congressional districts before this year's elections rather than let the Legislature do the job.

Gov. Rick Perry declined to say whether he would call the Legislature into special session to change the congressional districts.

"It's always been my preference that the Legislature take care of these issues," Perry told reporters Thursday before learning of the panel's order.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4014196.html

[truthisfreedom]

1. interesting. is this good or bad?

[Uben]

2. This is good

Re-districting should be done by non-partisan judges, not bised legislatures. Only one district was cited as being wrongly drawn, but the redrawing of lines will no doubt affect several other districts. By law, each district has to contain some 641,000 people, so changing one district will affect others.

The mere fact that non-partisan judges and not biased legislators will redraw is good.

[krkaufman]

3. Oxymoron: "non-partisan judges"

I think our dear Supreme Court has pretty well dispelled the notion of non-partisan judges.