Category Archives: Killer D’s

The Texas redistricting lawsuit gets underway this week in federal court. “This could become a landmark case if the three federal judges approve the proposed map. … It will be the largest disenfranchisement of minority voters since Dr. (Martin Luther) … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I mentioned that the candidate filing season has begun, and it’s brought with it a lot of confusion since no one knows for sure whether the new Congressional map will be in place or not. Some Democratic incumbents filed for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The three-judge federal court has rejected a subpoena brought by the Democrats to compel US Reps. Tom DeLay and Joe Barton to testify about their role in redistricting. For now, at least. The court held that federal case law requires … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Kos and Colorado Luis: The Colorado State Supreme Court has struck down the last minute re-redistricting job done by the state’s General Assembly. In its ruling, the full court decided that a Republican redistricting plan, pushed through the state … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Not sure why this story is just getting printed today, but it’s about another no-name casualty of redistricting out in West Texas. SONORA — To folks in this hamlet on the western edge of the Texas Hill Country, redistricting seemed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Reps. Tom DeLay and Joe Barton are contesting the subpoena that they were issued to testify about their roles in redistricting. Attorneys for DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, filed a motion in U.S. district court in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Like a zombie from a low-budget George Romero knockoff, former district Judge John Devine is coming back. Devine is the sixth Republican candidate to announce his candidacy for the [newly drawn 10th Congressional District] seat. Others are Pat Elliott of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

No, not for his many sleazy fundraising activities, but for his role in redistricting. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, have been subpoenaed to testify in a legal challenge by Texas Democrats to a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, that’s not quite what Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst told the Dallas Morning News, but it’s pretty close. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst vowed Tuesday never to allow congressional redistricting to revisit the Texas Senate this decade, even if the freshly … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A trial date has been set for the redistricting lawsuits, but strangely enough I can’t tell what it actually is. There’s a bunch of motions and hearings going on, so read it and see which date seems the most likely. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just a few tidbits from the news… Texas Congressional Democrats have been meeting with the Justice Department to argue that the new map violates the Voting Rights Act. As we know, Justice Department approval is necessary for the new map … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Looks like some of the external fundraising that the Killer D’s/Texas 11 did has borne some fruit. Since the redistricting fight erupted last spring, 13 of the 17 Texas Democrats in Congress have donated more than $230,000 to the state … Continue reading → Continue reading →

From the Things That Happened While I Was Out Department: Sen. Leticia Van de Putte has retracted her charge that a Republican Senator, whom she has not named, made an ethnic slur to her in the presence of others. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I have to say, after obsessing over the whole redistricting thing for waaaaay too long, it was good to head off to a foreign country where I had no Internet connection and only the International Herald Tribune for any news. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I have to say, it’s not been looking good for Sen. Leticia Van de Putte. Her Democratic colleagues don’t recall the “if you act like Mexicans, you will be treated like Mexicans” slur that she says she heard, she’s been … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Looks like Speaker Craddick got the check from the mail and is happy to cash it: The “agreement in principle” is now official. House and Senate negotiators reached a final agreement early this morning on new congressional districts, said Sen. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

(UPDATE: You can see the new map here. Thanks to Tom for sending me the link.) For all the statements about an agreement in principle on a new Congressional map, there sure seems to be a lot of caveats and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says he hopes Sen. Leticia Van de Putte simply misheard another Senator make a racial slur. Dewhurst also backed off the previous stance of his office calling for an investigation into whether an unnamed senator told … Continue reading → Continue reading →

At 12:13 PM, the Quorum Report says: HOUSE AND SENATE REDISTRICTING NEGOTIATORS REACH DEAL Official announcement to be made early this afternoon Time to get the lawyers warmed up. UPDATE: Oopsie! QR has a later entry that says: WE JUMPED … Continue reading → Continue reading →

On Day Two of Hammer Time, the newspapers are all reporting that this time, the Republicans really truly are thisclose to finalizing a map. No compromise maps were released, but both sides agreed that Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, the speaker … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Yesterday I pointed to a column by Jan Jarboe Russell in the Express News in which Sen. Leticia Van de Putte said that a Republican Senator, in response to a query about punitiveness, told her that “If you act like … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If this story is really true, it’s pretty shocking, even after all that’s occurred so far. San Antonio Sen. Leticia Van de Putte says that on Sept. 18, shortly after the Democrats returned from their 45-day exile in New Mexico, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You know that redistricting negotiations have really fallen down when Tom DeLay swoops in to try and get a deal brokered. “I’m a Texan trying to get things done,” said DeLay, R-Sugar Land, as he spent hours engaged in cross-rotunda … Continue reading → Continue reading →

And so the Sunday drop-dead deadline has whooshed past with map in sight and the Lege adjourned until Wednesday. What a glorious mess this is. Hardly any ink was expended on the reason for the Republicans’ failure, since the reason … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s still no deal on a new Congressional map as the joint committee keeps lobbing maps back and forth with no progress being made. Despite working around the clock the past couple of days, House and Senate Republicans late Saturday … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, after reading the usual five sources for redistricting news, I officially have no idea if a deal is imminent, on the horizon, or nowhere in sight. There’s compromises, cut-n-paste jobs, still no agreement on West Texas, and a renewed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Things continue to be a mite sticky for Republicans in Austin, with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst letting out a little steam over Speaker Tom Craddick’s negotiating style. Frustrated by negotiations over congressional redistricting, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Thursday accused … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If there’s a more beautiful sound right now than Republicans sniping and griping at each other over a new Congressional map, I don’t know what it is. Governor Perry’s self-imposed deadline of Wednesday has come and gone, and the joint … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Senators Staples and Duncan have announced that they have a map that solves the West Texas issue. Here’s the AP report: AUSTIN – Senate negotiators hammering out a congressional redistricting plan today presented what they called a good solution to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today is Governor Perry’s preferred deadline for getting a redistricting map approved by the bicameral committee, but they’re still bogged down in the same West Texas dispute, and now they’ve got a new dispute over how to apportion seats for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Republicans involved in redistricting spent much of yesterday trying to come to an agreement on how to divvy up West Texas, and while it appears they have a plan for Midland and Lubbock, I can’t tell if they’re really … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Thus sayeth Gov. Perry: The magic date for the redistricters is October 6. “We start running into some time restraints. The 6th (of October) is somewhat of a drop dead date from the standpoint of getting some work done,” said … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As expected, the job of drawing a new Congressional map has landed in the lap of a joint House-Senate committee, and they’re pretty much starting from scratch. “When I’m walking in, I think everything is on the table,” said Rep. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve been under the weather the past two days, so I don’t quite have the energy to do my usual thing on this, but late last night the Senate approved a slightly modified version of the Staples map by an … Continue reading → Continue reading →