Tag Archives: redistricting

No partisan gerrymandering claims (yet) in Texas

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The three-judge panel in the Texas redistricting case has issued an order striking the expert report offered by the Texas Democratic Party in connection with its partisan gerrymandering claim. However, the court said that it would allow … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Congress, Election 2018, lawsuit, North Carolina, redistricting, SCOTUS, TDP, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act, Wisconsin | Comments Off

SCOTUS takes on Wisconsin partisan gerrymandering case

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Monday’s big news. Partisan gerrymandering exists because the Supreme Court allows it to exist. Although such gerrymanders are a form a viewpoint discrimination, which violates the First Amendment, Republican appointees to the Supreme Court have been reluctant to even let … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Brennan Center, Election 2018, redistricting, SCOTUS, Senate, Texas, The Lege, Wisconsin | 1 Comment

Republicans are a little freaked out over Texas Congressional redistricting possibilities

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I referenced this Trib story in last Friday’s post about the state declining to do a special session on redistricting, which at least some members of Congress from Texas would have liked. There was more to this story, which I … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged CD02, CD07, CD23, CD24, CD26, CD27, CD32, CD33, Congress, Election 2018, lawsuit, redistricting, Texas | 4 Comments

No special session for redistricting

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Buried in my Wednesday post about the SCOTUS ruling that declared North Carolina’s Congressional map to be an illegal gerrymander was a note that the court in the Texas redistricting case asked the state to consider a special session to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Bill Flores, Cindy Burkett, Congress, Election 2018, Election 2020, Eric Johnson, Greg Abbott, lawsuit, North Carolina, Rafael Anchia, Randy Weber, redistricting, SCOTUS, special session, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

The SCOTUS ruling on North Carolina’s gerrymandering could affect Texas

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is potentially a very big deal. In striking down North Carolina’s congressional district map, the Supreme Court sent Texas a firm warning Monday about how the state’s case may fare if it reaches that stage. The 5-3 North Carolina … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Congress, Election 2018, lawsuit, North Carolina, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Who’s your lawyer?

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey has a simple question. Do you remember the name of the lawyer who advised the Texas House and Senate when they wrote the 2011 voter ID bill? That’s the law a federal judge in Corpus Christi found to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, Greg Abbott, lawsuit, redistricting, Texas, The Lege, voter ID, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Trib overview of the Pasadena elections

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. When voters head to the polls here Saturday, their city council and mayoral picks could have repercussions well beyond this working-class Houston suburb. It will be the first election since a federal judge struck down the city’s 2013 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged Battleground Texas, City Council, Election 2017, Felipe Villareal, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, Mayor, Pasadena, redistricting, Steve Halvorson, Texas, turnout, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Court denies motion for appeals in redistricting case and sets trial date

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We are moving along in this process after such a long long looooooooooooooooong wait to get here. A three-judge panel on Monday denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to appeal a March ruling that said the Legislature intentionally discriminated … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Congress, Election 2018, HD90, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, MALC, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Trial to be set to determine 2018 maps

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Some questions answered, still more raised. As the 2018 election cycle nears, it appears Texas and its legal foes are headed for a trial — yet again — over what the state’s House and congressional boundaries will look like, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Congress, Election 2018, lawsuit, MALC, redistricting, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

Big day for redistricting in court

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow the questions of what happens next in the redistricting lawsuits begin to get answered. Will Texas soon see new political maps that are friendlier to Latino and black voters and, in turn, Democrats? If so, who would draw them: … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged CD23, CD27, CD35, Congress, Election 2018, lawsuit, MALC, MALDEF, redistricting, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Two more redistricting updates

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From KUT, will we have a new Congressional map for next year? [Gerry Hebert, one of the plaintiff attorneys], says he’s hopeful there won’t be yet another election with the old maps. “The timing of the court’s decision is absolutely … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Congress, Dan Patrick, Election 2018, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, filing deadline, MALC, Rafael Anchia, redistricting, Texas, The Lege, Trey Martinez-Fischer, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Very early speculation about Congressional campaigns

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib rounded up all the scuttlebutt about who may be running for various Congressional districts next year. I’ve picked out a few to comment on. CD07: National Democrats are interested in Houston attorney Collin Cox and Alex Triantaphyllis, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged Alex Triantaphyllis, Beto O'Rourke, CD07, CD16, CD23, CD27, CD32, Cesar Blanco, Colin Allred, Collin Cox, Congress, Debby Kerner, Democratic primary, Donald Trump, Ed Meier, Election 2016, Election 2018, James Cargas, Jason Westin, Jay Hulings, John Culberson, Joshua Butler, Miguel Solis, Pete Gallego, Pete Sessions, redistricting, Regina Montoya, Solomon Ortiz, Texas, Veronica Escobar, Will Hurd | Comments Off

Legislative maps found to have discriminatory intent

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Texas lawmakers intentionally diluted the political clout of minority voters in drawing the state’s House districts, a panel of federal judges ruled Thursday. In a long-awaited ruling, the San Antonio-based judges found that lawmakers in 2011 either violated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Election 2008, Election 2012, Election 2014, Election 2016, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Garnet Coleman, MALC, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

The status of Section 3

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Lyle Denniston looks at a key aspect of the voting rights-related lawsuits in Texas. About four years after the Supreme Court took away the government’s strongest authority to protect minority voters’ rights, a backup power under the federal Voting Rights … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, City Council, Congress, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, lawsuit, Pasadena, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, voter ID, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

State wants to appeal redistricting ruling

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The State of Texas filed a motion [Wednesday] afternoon with the three-judge panel in the Texas redistricting case, asking the panel to give the state permission to appeal the panel’s March 10 ruling on the state’s 2011 … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, CD23, CD27, CD35, Congress, Election 2018, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, lawsuit, redistricting, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Some Texas voting rights lawsuit updates

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This has been a busy week for litigation related to voting rights issues in Texas. Here are updates to some cases, all of which happened this past week. From Texas Redistricting: The three-judge panel in the Texas redistricting case has … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Congress, Court of Criminal Appeals, Department of Motor Vehicles, DPS, Election 2016, Election 2018, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Department, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NVRA, redistricting, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, voter ID, voter registration, Voting Rights Act | 6 Comments

Pasadena Council not happy with redistricting appeal

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Or maybe they’re just not happy with soon-to-be-former Mayor Isbell. Either way, they showed it. In a sign of waning confidence in its legal position, the Pasadena City Council voted Tuesday to withhold payment from the law firm that’s trying … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, Mayor, Pasadena, Pat Van Houte, redistricting, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

State files opposition to motion for new Congressional maps

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The State of Texas has filed its opposition to redistricting plaintiffs’ request for an order that would permanently block the current Texas congressional map and require a redraw of the map for the 2018 election. The state … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, CD27, CD35, Congress, Election 2018, lawsuit, redistricting, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Harris County’s growth slows

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still growing, we just didn’t grow as fast last year as we had in previous years. After eight straight years of boom – adding more new residents than any county in the nation – Harris County in 2016 felt … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged Census, Congress, demography, Donald Trump, economy, Harris County, immigration, Lloyd Potter, redistricting, Stephen Klineberg, Steve Murdock, Texas, Texas State Demographer, The Lege | Comments Off

An ironic might-have-been on redistricting

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Rick Casey. The three judges who decided the case include one Democrat and two Republicans. Ironically, the decision may have gone the other way if one of the judges hadn’t been punished for joining in an earlier ruling in … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Barack Obama, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, John Cornyn, lawsuit, redistricting, Supreme Court, Ted Cruz, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Motion filed to block current Congressional map

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project. Moments ago the Plaintiffs in the ongoing Texas congressional redistricting case filed a joint motion asking the San Antonio Federal District Court for an injunction to block the use of the current congressional map during … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged CD23, CD27, CD35, Congress, Election 2018, lawsuit, Lone Star Project, MALC, Marc Veasey, NAACP, redistricting, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

So what does that redistricting ruling really mean?

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a good explainer. So will the Legislature redraw the congressional map? And if so, when? Here’s where it gets tricky. Friday’s order made it clear that the 2011 map cannot stand, but it did not order anyone … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, Congress, Election 2018, Jeff Sessions, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, redistricting, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 3 Comments

Court rules several Congressional districts were illegally drawn

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Bam! Some of Texas’ 36 congressional districts violate either the U.S. Constitution or the federal Voting Rights Act, a panel of federal judges ruled Friday. In a long-delayed ruling, the judges ruled 2-1 that the Texas Legislature must redraw the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Legal matters | Tagged Blake Farenthold, C26, CD23, CD27, CD35, Congress, Eddie Rodriguez, Election 2018, Justice Department, lawsuit, Lloyd Doggett, Lone Star Project, LULAC, MALC, Marc Veasey, Michael Burgess, NAACP, redistricting, special election, Texas, Voting Rights Act, Will Hurd | 4 Comments

We could be at the end of the road of the Pasadena redistricting case

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mike Snyder continues his reporting on the Pasadena redistricting litigation. He notes that while the whole thing was concocted and pushed forward by current Mayor Johnny Isbel, several of the candidates to succeed Isbell are not interesting in picking up … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged City Council, David Flores, Election 2017, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Gilbert Pena, Gloria Gallegos, Jeff Wagner, John Moon, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, Mayor, Pasadena, Pat Van Houte, redistricting, Robert Talton, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

The 2017 lineup for Pasadena

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the candidates for office in Pasadena for this May: I wish I could give that to you in a more reader-friendly format, but online news sources for this are scant. This Patch.com story is the only post-filing deadline … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged City Council, Cody Wheeler, Don Harrison, Election 2017, Felipe Villareal, Gilbert Pena, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, Mayor, Oscar Del Toro, Pasadena, Pat Van Houte, redistricting, Robert Talton, Sammy Casados, single member districts, Steve Halvorson, Texas | 8 Comments

Pasadena won’t fight election order

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The May election in Pasadena will proceed under the pre-redistricting eight-district Council map. The city of Pasadena will not fight an appellate court ruling over its election system, a decision that will allow the upcoming May council elections to proceed … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, Pasadena, redistricting, single member districts, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Fifth Circuit upholds Pasadena election order

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Pasadena election system that a judge ruled violated the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against Hispanics cannot be used in the upcoming May council elections, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, Pasadena, redistricting, single member districts, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Fifth Circuit hears Pasadena redistricting appeal

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is to decide whether to lift or leave in place Judge Lee Rosenthal’s ruling that the pre-2013 all-single-member-district Council map will be in place for the May elections in Pasadena. The City of Pasadena asked for the expedited hearing … Continue reading →

Pasadena appellate hearing set

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. With deadlines looming for the upcoming May elections, a federal appeals court has agreed to hear arguments Feb. 1 in a voting rights lawsuit that overturned the Pasadena election system. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

Pat Van Houte for Pasadena Mayor

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is the local race to watch this May. A Pasadena councilwoman who became a key witness in a recent federal lawsuit contesting the city’s redrawn voting districts said she will run for mayor in the upcoming election. Pat Van … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, Gilbert Pena, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, Mayor, Pasadena, Pat Van Houte, redistricting, Robert Talton, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Judge affirms Pasadena redistricting order

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Back to the previous map, pending appeal. Hours after candidates began filing paperwork to run for city office, a federal judge Wednesday denied a request by Pasadena officials to delay her order that the city election be run under an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, filing deadline, Johnny Isbell, lawsuit, MALDEF, Pasadena, redistricting, single member districts, Texas | Comments Off

Pasadena will appeal redistricting ruling

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. An attorney representing the city of Pasadena said Tuesday the city will appeal a ruling that found Pasadena deliberately violated the voting rights of its Hispanic population, a move that could have immediate consequences for the city’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, filing deadline, Johnny Isbell, Justice Department, lawsuit, MALDEF, Ornaldo Ybarra, Pasadena, redistricting, single member districts, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Final ruling in Pasadena redistricting lawsuit

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official – back to the original map. With candidate registration set to begin Tuesday, a federal judge Monday prohibited the city of Pasadena from using an unconstitutional redistricting scheme in the upcoming May elections, stating that the scheme violated … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, filing deadline, Johnny Isbell, Justice Department, lawsuit, MALDEF, Mayor, Pasadena, redistricting, single member districts, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

Judge rules for Pasadena plaintiffs

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. A federal judge in Houston dealt a major blow Friday to the city of Pasadena in a closely watched voting rights case, ruling that officials deliberately diluted the clout of Hispanic voters by revising the system for electing City … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2017, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Johnny Isbell, Justice Department, MALDEF, Pasadena, redistricting, single member districts, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

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