Gerrymandering/Redistricting

Today, Common Cause filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in Trump v. New York, urging the court to uphold the three lower court rulings blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to omit undocumented immigrants from the census numbers used for the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Three lower courts have ruled that President Trump’s memorandum ordering this unprecedented change violates the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes governing the census and apportionment.

Today, a third federal court blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to omit undocumented immigrants from the census numbers for the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. District for the District of Maryland, in Useche v. Trump, ruled that President Trump’s memorandum ordering this unprecedented change  violates U.S. statutes governing the census and apportionment.

“Everybody is leaning in hard to try to make sure they can reach as many people as possible,” said Kathay Feng, an official with Common Cause, the good-government advocacy group.

Common Cause endorses Amendment One because “fairness” and “compromise” aren’t bad words. This referendum is at the heart of our mission to empower people to come together to find common solutions. Justice Ginsburg described the danger of partisan gerrymandering: “It’s drawing a map so people think, ‘Why bother voting? This is a secure Republican district or this is a secure Democratic district, so my vote doesn’t count.’ That’s not a good thing for democracy.” By shifting the power from politicians drawing maps behind closed doors to a public panel led by voters, you would send an unmistakable message to all Virginians: your voice matters. It’s time to put Virginia above party and self-interest. Vote yes on Amendment One.

“It isn’t that the Democrats don’t try to do it,” said Kathay Feng, national redistricting director for Common Cause. “It’s just that the Republicans had a plan to secure partisan state control of state legislatures in the 2010 cycle.”

Other legal challenges to the memo include one by the government watchdog organization Common Cause, and several cities, groups and individuals that was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, for which a hearing is scheduled next Tuesday. Dan Vicuña, national redistricting manager for Common Cause, called the administration’s legal arguments “preposterous.” “This is a nakedly partisan attempt to break the law by rigging the census, and we fully expect the same outcome in this case” as was decided in the lower court, he said. A Supreme Court ruling on this case could set precedent that would affect the lower court’s decision in the Common Cause case.