High court on the spot in redistricting battle- Texas

[Rose Siding]

AUSTIN -- Texas Democrats on Friday questioned whether the all-Republican state Supreme Court will serve as an impartial referee or a partisan hammer next week as it considers a lawsuit to end the legislative stalemate over congressional redistricting.
snip>

The Democrats are concerned that they will not get an impartial hearing from the court.

All nine justices are Republicans, and one, Priscilla Owen, has had her nomination to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked three times by U.S. Senate Democrats.

Republican President Bush, the former Texas governor, nominated Owen for the federal appeals court. Bush's political aide, Karl Rove, has maintained an active interest in the Texas redistricting battle, discussing it with Dewhurst and at least one state senator.

Two state Supreme Court justices -- Wallace Jefferson and Michael Schneider -- were originally appointed to the court by Perry before winning election to the office.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2038962

This is pure-dee crazy- the most politically incestuous crowd imaginable. The end of the article relates a twist- nothing about this process is going to go smoothly.

The Dems have charged Perry can't even call these special sessions because it's only legal in the case of emergency. And they think the TX supremes have *already* made up their minds. And they SAY so.

[DagmarK]

1. They don't even TRY to hide the incest!!

"Bush's political aide, Karl Rove, has maintained an active interest in the Texas redistricting battle, discussing it with Dewhurst and at least one state senator."

It is grossly inappropriate for the White House to influence state district issues...must less even offer an opinion about it......

They are a bold and brazen bunch of buttheads!

[bluestateguy]

2. On that

The Texas Senate Democrats need to be prepared to lose the court battle and accept those consequences (there's really no federal issue for the federal courts to decide). Warrants for their arrest may be issued, and New Mexico authorities need to be prepared to resist those warrants. This will have to go into total meltdown. And it's not like there's any Democrats left in Texas for people to vote out anyway.

[smaug]

3. Actually, there are Independents (who vote both ways) left in Texas

The whole core of this issue is the Rove attempt to manipulate the electoral system to gerrymander the House of Representatives. Like any revealed religion, Radikal Rethuglicanism cannot accept the fact that many people don't have lockstep opinions based on the unholy Rethuglican canon; and that many voters vote split tickets.

This is an attempt to neutralize that very voting pattern. This attitude tries to denigrate the fact that many of the voters participating in the election evidently paid some attention and voted for the better candidate (you ought to see the typical Rethuglican candidate here in my congressional / county elections!). Winning at all costs is the credo, and that is what this is an attempt to do.

We have that same pattern here in Arkansas; even the Banana Republic governor (Rethuglican) knows it. He's afraid to go out in the deer hunting woods with 250,000 Democrats with guns <grin>. Guess being an ordained minister isn't much help <cackle>.

[Rose Siding]

4. I hope enough Texans are paying attention

to the same core issue. The repub group tink is a powerful phenom but the Dems are on the side of the angels here. I'm guessing part of the repub strategy here is to murk things up. If it comes to warrents for the Dems, I can't even guess what may transpire.

One look at the map tells the tail! One district is hundreds of miles long and two blocks wide at one point.

Welcome to DU, smaug :hi:

[newyawker99]

5. Hi smaug!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[juajen]

6. Welcome to DU, Smaug. Will you be breathing fire?

N/T