Gerrymander Gazette: Date with NC Supremes Edition

Resources and Announcements

• Plaintiffs in consolidated lawsuits challenging gerrymandered maps enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly will appeal a decision in which the three-judge panel appointed to hear the case denied relief. As expected, the North Carolina Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to uphold the U.S. House, North Carolina Senate, and North Carolina House maps. Plaintiffs, which include Common Cause, individual voters, and the League of Conservation Voters, are challenging maps as partisan gerrymanders that also violate North Carolina’s constitutional protections against the dilution of minority votes. Common Cause is represented by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. See the SCSJ press release here and read the panel’s decision here.
• Independent citizen redistricting commissions in California and Michigan recently completed their work. This was the second time a commission drew maps in California and the first time ever that a commission drew maps in Michigan. I talked with California Common Cause Executive Director Jonathan Mehta Stein and Common Cause Michigan Executive Director Quentin Turner on Facebook Live about how things went in each state. Watch the discussion here.
• The Minnesota judicial panel tasked with drawing U.S. House and state legislative districts – if the Minnesota Legislature fails to do so – held oral arguments last week. All parties testified about their maps in the first session and critiqued other parties’ maps in the second session. Watch the first session (Common Cause/Corrie plaintiffs’ presentation begins at the 01:29:00) and the second session (Common Cause/Corrie plaintiffs’ presentation begins at the 00:48:30 with a final rebuttal at 1:20:35). The panel is likely to release its maps shortly after February 15, 2022, the legislature’s state constitutional deadline. Learn more here.

News

• California: Nine former Chico mayors support Butte redistricting referendum as deadline approaches. KRCR. January 9, 2022.
• Georgia: New lawsuit challenges 3 Georgia congressional district maps. Associated Press. January 7, 2022.
• Kentucky: Kentucky lawmakers send redistricting bills to governor. Associated Press. January 8, 2022.
• Maryland: Maryland panel OKs plan for state legislative districts. Associated Press. January 7, 2022.
• Minnesota: What Minnesota’s proposed political maps could mean for the state’s communities of color. MinnPost. January 10, 2022.
• Mississippi: Analysis: Redistricting not as tough as it was 2 decades ago. Associated Press. January 7, 2022.
• New York: NY Legislature votes down redistricting maps. ABC News 10. January 10, 2022.
• Ohio: DeWine weighs in on legislative redistricting breakdown: ‘They were not going to move, ever.’ The Enquirer. January 10, 2022.
• Pennsylvania: 
  • PA Lawsuit Asks State Supreme Court to Intervene in Redistricting. Public News Service. January 7, 2022.
  • Unhappy Pa. Republican Lawmakers Seek Greater Control of Redistricting. NBC 10. January 10, 2022.
• South Carolina: South Carolina Republicans want judge off redistricting case. Associated Press. January 7, 2022.
• Tennessee: GOP plans to carve up Democratic-stronghold Nashville during redistricting. NBC News. January 10, 2022.
• Washington: Washington Supreme Court rejects redistricting lawsuits. Associated Press. January 6, 2022.

This newsletter has been produced by Common Cause and compiled by Dan Vicuna. Subscribe to the Gerrymander Gazette here. For more information or to pass along news, contact Dan Vicuna.

Read past issues here.