On January 30, the Illinois League of Women Voters asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear League of Women Voters of Illinois v Quinn. The issue is whether partisan gerrymandering violates the free speech portion of the First Amendment. Here is the League’s filing with the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to rule that partisan gerrymandering violates the Equal Protection part of the Fourteenth amendment, but this is the first case to argue that putting voters in a particular district based on their party membership violates the First Amendment. The League says that putting voters into certain districts based on their party membership makes it less likely that voters will hear certain kinds of speech. The First Amendment protects the ability to hear speech as well as the ability to speak.
The case doesn’t have a docket number in the U.S. Supreme Court yet. A 3-judge U.S. District Court in Illinois had rejected the case last year. The League had then asked for reconsideration on November 10, 2011, but the 3-judge court rejected that only six days later. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.
Continuous gerrymanders in ALL States since 4 July 1776.
1/2 votes x 1/2 gerrymander districts = 1/4 CONTROL.
Much worse primary math if there is NO incumbent.
SAVE Democracy before it is too late.
Total Votes / Total Seats = EQUAL votes required for each Seat Winner.
Winner excess votes down.
Loser votes up.
ALL voters elect a legislator.
Both majority rule and minority representation.
OTHERWISE – get ready for gerrymander Civil WAR II to make the Civil WAR I in 1861-1865 after the 1860 gerrymander elections seem like child’s play.
—-
SCOTUS is BRAIN DEAD ignorant about gerrymander math — due to armies of EVIL robot party hack lawyers and even more stupid armies of math brain dead amicus profs — since 1964 — a mere 48 years of math MORONS.
History note – before 1964 the gerrymanders were even primitive worse — i.e. PACKED urban districts, LOW populations in rural districts.
Probable about 10-15 percent gerrymander control in many States in 1963-1964 after the 1962 elections.
I.E. SCOTUS delayed a total left/right breakdown for some decades.
Has time RUN OUT ??? See 1775-1776 and 1859-1861.
This case must be heard. Unbridled gerrymandering is killing our democracy. The good news is that with the growth on online redistricting the end of gerrymandering is within sight. Now the general public will be able to do for themselves what the politicians have done in private before now, draw maps! Now ordinary citizens will be able to see the monumental power behind moving a district line. The will instandly see how demographics change. The anger will hopefully be such that politicians will not dare continue to gerrymander to the extent they are now are gerrymandering.