Wisconsin Redistricting Lawsuit Could Reverberate Nationally

[Stellar]

Much more at the link: Alternet.org

A federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s Republican-drawn state legislative district lines could have sweeping implications for gerrymandered districts nationwide.
After a century as a trailblazer for progressive democracy reforms, Wisconsin has become what one local union leader ruefully calls “a kind of laboratory for oligarchs to implement their political and economic agenda.”

This assessment, delivered by David Poklinkoski, president of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2304, captures Wisconsin Democrats’ dim view of the brazenly partisan redistricting plan masterminded by GOP Governor Scott Walker.

But the redistricting plan, so central in empowering Walker and his legislative allies to roll back social reforms in Wisconsin, is now the target of a federal lawsuit. First heard by federal judges in May, the suit is now before an appeals court that is expected to rule this summer. That ruling could reverberate in other states around the country with heavily GOP-tilted electoral maps. While a few Democratic-controlled state governments have district maps that favor their party, the 2010 Republican electoral sweep set off a nationally-coordinated and harshly partisan round of redistricting in states where both the governor and legislative majorities were Republican.

[Qutzupalotl]

1. K&R

[billhicks76]

2. Take The Crooks Down

[geardaddy]

3. Good.

Take that you googly-eyed homunculus.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

4. K&R Great news, This is important!

Thank You, Stellar! I want to share some videos that I watched to learn more about the impart of redistricting.

From Oct 18, 2013

from Mar 13, 2015

[Stellar]

5. Whoa, that is interesting...

Damn, that's what's been happening.

Thanks for sharing, DianaForRussFeingold.

[Wounded Bear]

6. Good news!

Not soon enough, maybe, but good news nonetheless.

In my state (WA) they set up a commission with Dem, Rep, and Judicial members, so things end up more balanced. All states should do this.

Federal regulations would be nice, although I'm sure the states' rightists would fight against it.

[Stellar]

7. Agreed! nt

[Wounded Bear]

10. Not totally sure...

but it might be in the State Constitution. No system is perfect, but having a multi-party commission sounds like a good thing to me, and it looks like it generally works here.

None of those spaghetti or snake districts. They mostly make sense.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/WA

[asiliveandbreathe]

8. Our Independent Commission in AZ was upheld to create districts for elections..

Alito, Thomas, Scalia, Roberts dissented...HUMMMMM....

[Wounded Bear]

11. Surprise, surprise

The usual suspects.

[tblue37]

18. I read your post too fast and thought you'd written, "The usual insects." heh heh. nt

[Angry Dragon]

9. The Weasel

[NurseJackie]

12. Get rid of them ALL ... no matter which side the gerrymandering favors!

[Stellar]

14. Ya' know...that's what I've been thinking. nt

[Ace Rothstein]

16. I agree.

Illinois is gerrymandered pretty badly to favor Democrats. Luis Gutierrez has one of the more ridiculously shaped districts that you'll ever see.

[HereSince1628]

13. Dem politicians in WI don't much care about Labor, but BOY! Are they Whizzed Off on Gerrymandering!

I wonder why that priority?

[DianaForRussFeingold]

15. Yeah, I remember about the comfortable shoes

[HereSince1628]

17. true but Obama isn't from WI, and only represents WI as 1 in 50+ states/territories

I was thinking about Mary Burke and the WiDems that pushed her gubernatorial campaign.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

23. We're all in this together.

[HereSince1628]

25. That -NOT- being true is really what this primary season has been about

[DianaForRussFeingold]

26. Spot-On!

"We're All In This Together" - Senator Bernie Sanders

[DirkGently]

19. KNR. n/t

[raven mad]

20. I hope. The redistricting here is insane.

But I bet the Repukes had fun doing it.

[uponit7771]

21. +++ THERE WERE 1.4 MILLION MORE DEM CONGRESS VOTES IN 2012 THAN GOP++++

... but we still have a GOP congress due to gerrymandering

[Still In Wisconsin]

22. This is probably the best hope yet for our battered state.

We need to undo the ridiculous gerrymander that was foisted upon us. And we need Democrats to actually show up and vote for a non-presidential year election. Before the 2010 wave we had a Dem Governor, a Dem state Senate, and a Dem state Assembly.

The damage done by these hacks in six years will take decades to fully un-do...IF we start now.

[Stellar]

24. I am so sorry, I really hope things change...

Our Gov Rauner of Illinois once said he would like to emulate Scott Walker (his role model). And now, Rauner is the 6th worst Governor in the country and Walker is number 8. Politico