Redistricting lawsuit update

I'm not quite in the mood to quote, summarize, and make snarky comments about the latest testimony in the federal lawsuit aimed at blocking or overturning the new Congressional map in Texas, so what follows is the links to the news accounts that I can find. I urge you to look at all of them, for if there's one thing I learned from the coverage of this endless legislative summer, it's that no one newspaper gave anything close to a complete picture.

From Friday:

Chron: Trial begins as judges decline to give summary judgment

Statesman: Trial begins, testimony from American GI Forum

Express-News: Redistricting expert sees polarized vote

WaPo: The lawyers speak

For Saturday, everything is focused on testimony given by Congressmen Max Sandlin, Martin Frost, Chet Edwards, and Jim Turner, plus former Dallas Mayor and Senate candidate Ron Kirk.

Star Telegram: Democrats testify against remap

Express News: Remap attack continues

DMN: Kirk says remap violates voter rights

Statesman: Democrats assail redistricting plan

Chron: Judges told remap will turn away minorities

The Quorum Report has other miscellaneous bits, including at least one side effect of the testimony:

Testimony in a federal court in the South on such a highly charged issue as race can certainly have a dramatic impact.

Just a few hours ago, U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin (D-Marshall) took the witness stand and condemned a decision by Harrison County Commissioners Court to remove the only polling place at Wiley College, the first historically Black college established west of Mississippi.

Sandlin claimed the "black box" had been moved instead to the heavily Anglo and conservative East Texas Baptist University for next month's state Senate District 1 special election.

"There's only one reason for that and everybody knows what it is," Sandlin said.

The testimony has already had an effect.

Harrison County Elections Administrator Pam Brock said Sandlin had not got all his facts right but did say she would be asking county commissioners to "hastily review" yesterday's decision to reduce the number of polling places from 29 to 7.

Brock said removal of the Wiley College polling location would be among the items to be looked at again.

Right. QR also has a sneak peek at the cover of next month's Texas Monthly, in which they give out their annual Bum Steer Awards. I think that in comparing the redistricting architects to the Three Stooges, their choice to depict Rick Perry as Shemp is most poignant statement anyone has made about this entire fiasco.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 13, 2003 to Killer D's | TrackBack