Today the Utah legislature passed a new congressional map favored to help Republicans retain all four of the state’s congressional seats — despite a recent court ruling requiring a fair map.
Utah Republicans pass new gerrymandered congressional map
Today the Utah legislature passed a new congressional map favored to help Republicans retain all four of the state’s congressional seats — despite a recent court ruling requiring a fair map.
And to bolster the chances of success for their gerrymander campaign, GOP lawmakers also approved an audacious measure that, while framed as a check on partisan bias, would allow them to rig the process of determining whether or not a map favors one party over the other. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed that bill into law within hours.
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Federal judge again blocks Trump’s Portland National Guard deployment
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard soldiers to Portland, Oregon after already blocking him over the weekend. The judge, a Trump appointee, said the administration appeared to be sidestepping her previous order by deploying troops from California and Texas to the city.
Illinois sues to block Trump’s deployment of Texas National Guard in Chicago
Illinois sued to block Trump’s attempt to send up to 400 Texas National Guard troops to Chicago, arguing the deployment infringes on its sovereignty. Illinois said the deployment would only cause more unrest and increase mistrust of the police.
Right-wing group keeps pushing for Pennsylvania voter reg data
After losing in the 3rd Circuit for lack of standing, right-wing group Public Interest Legal Foundation now wants the Supreme Court to take up its challenge to Pennsylvania’s policies limiting public access to voter registration records of alleged noncitizens.
Supreme Court says no to hearing Republican case invoking ISL
In a win for voters, SCOTUS said it will not weigh in on whether individual legislators can sue state and federal executive officials who alter federal elections rules in conflict with state election laws passed by the legislature.
GOP fights to deny Missouri voters a voice on Trump-ordered gerrymander
Missourians are mobilizing to give voters a chance to block the state’s new Trump-ordered GOP gerrymander, via ballot measure. But Republican officials are pulling out all the stops to stymie the effort.
Texas gerrymander was drawn ‘focusing on race,’ expert tells court
Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map this summer at the urging of Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice, aiming to eliminate some majority-minority districts. The plan is now under scrutiny in a federal court in El Paso, where Democracy Docket reporter Jen Rice has been reporting from the courthouse.
“They achieved those partisan objectives by focusing on race,” Matt Barreto, a political science professor with the UCLA Voting Rights Project, told the court Saturday.
Barreto analyzed the GOP gerrymander in recent weeks, concluding it was a statistical outlier. It would be impossible to draw a Texas congressional map where Republicans win 30 out of 38 seats and six districts have a Hispanic majority unless the district lines were manipulated to hit racial targets, he said.
Inside Trump’s unprecedented power grab
Republicans are redrawing congressional maps to lock in their power for years to come. Marina Jenkins, the executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, talks with Marc about how these moves threaten fair elections and what’s at stake for American democracy.
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