On May 12, the South Carolina Senate blocked HB 5683, a new bill to redraw U.S. House districts. The Senate voted not to extend the legislative session to hear new bills. The bill itself was not before the Senate.
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Two new federal cases are challenging Tennessee’s new U.S. House district boundaries. Sherman v Hargett, m.d., 3:26cv-616 is an ACLU case assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw. The plaintiffs seek a three-judge panel. The plaintiffs include the Tennessee Democratic Party. This case was filed May 11.
Hale v Lee, m.d., 3:26cv-603, challenges the timing of the new maps, and the plaintiffs do not ask for a 3-judge court. The state argues that this case also needs a 3-judge court. Currently it is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge William Campbell, a Trump appointee. One of the plaintiffs is Congressman Steven Cohen, the member who represents Memphis. The new map splits Memphis into three different districts. This case was filed May 7.
There is also a state court case pending, in Davidson County Chancery Court.
Also there is the case already mentioned in B.A.N. filed by an independent U.S. House candidate, who argues that her rights are being violated by the state having changed the district boundaries after she had been campaigning in the old district lines for the last two years. Moses v Lee, w.d., 2:26cv-2533.
On May 12, the Missouri Supreme Court heard two cases over the validity of the new U.S. House district boundaries. Healey v State of Missouri, SC 101570, is whether the new districts violate the state constitution, which requires that districts be compact. Haggard v State of Missouri, SC 101581, challenges the Secretary of State’s decision to ignore the referendum petition filed against the new district boundaries.
On May 11, U.S. District Court Judge William B. Shubb, a Bush Sr. appointee, refused to put Butch Ware on the California primary ballot as a Green Party candidate for Governor. Ware v Weber, e.d., 2:26cv-1643. Here is the ruling, which says nothing about the constitutional issue of requiring gubernatorial candidates to submit copies of income tax returns. The constitutional issue will be decided later. The basis for the ruling is that the primary election is already underway. Already several hundred thousand Californians have voted.
On May 11, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced that he had changed his registration from Democratic to independent. See this story. Pennsylvania has partisan elections for its Supreme Court when a seat becomes vacant. It has retention elections for that office otherwise. Wecht was elected as the Democratic nominee in 2016 and has since won retention elections.