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North Carolina Congressional Map Ruled Unconstitutionally Gerrymandered (nytimes.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: A panel of federal judges struck down North Carolina's congressional map on Tuesday, condemning it as unconstitutional because Republicans had drawn the map seeking a political advantage (Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source). The ruling was the first time that a federal court had blocked a congressional map because of a partisan gerrymander, and it instantly endangered Republican seats in the coming elections. Judge James A. Wynn Jr., in a biting 191-page opinion, said that Republicans in North Carolina's Legislature had been "motivated by invidious partisan intent" as they carried out their obligation in 2016 to divide the state into 13 congressional districts, 10 of which are held by Republicans. The result, Judge Wynn wrote, violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection. The ruling and its chief demand -- that the Republican-dominated Legislature create a new landscape of congressional districts by Jan. 24 -- infused new turmoil into the political chaos that has in recent years enveloped North Carolina. President Trump carried North Carolina in 2016, but the state elected a Democrat as its governor on the same day and in 2008 supported President Barack Obama.
Oooooh boy. The governmental weaponization of social ostracism.
It's bad enough in the west knee-jerk social lemmingism rules the day with fear. Here, it will be used by those in power as yet another lever to keep down challengers to their power.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
No, the "Courts" should not.
If you want that, change the Constitution. Strictly speaking, the courts involvement in this at all is unconstitutional. Redistricting is a task left to the Legislature in the Constitution.
There is a political solution to all of this that has worked many times. It worked in 1994 when the Republicans won back Congress despite Democrat Gerrymandering.
You can't have the courts always stepping in because you don't think something is "fair".
"Fair" has nothing to do with Law once it is passed.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Political affiliation isn't a protect class.
To insist that the redistricting somehow represents the greater population is the usurpation of redistricting task by the courts.
I admit this is a fairly fundamentalists interpretation, but what objective measurement are the courts using to discern Good O'l Gerrymandering from "Insidious"?
Redistricting is not like pornography.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.