SUPREME COURT - First Cases 2012

"Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Texas Redistricting, Environmental Rules" PBS Newshour 1/9/2012

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): And now to a politically sensitive legal case.

Texas doesn't hold its primary until April, but well before then, the U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to settle a redistricting dispute with broad implications for the makeup of the state's and possibly the nation's future political landscape.

Texas gained four new congressional seats due to an explosion of political growth in the past decade, more than half of it within the Hispanic community. The state legislature drew up a new map of voting districts, but it's being challenged by minority rights groups as unrepresentative.

In the meantime, a federal court has drafted its own redistricting plan, and it is being challenged by the state. And all of this was presented today in arguments before the Supreme Court.

More excerpts

GREG ABBOTT (R), Texas attorney general: What the legislature does and is entitled to do is to draw districts in the state of Texas that complies with the Voting Rights Act, to the extent possible, protects incumbents.

And we believe that what the state of Texas did in passing the redistricting maps fully complies with the Voting Rights Act and ensures a new record number of Hispanics who are elected to office as Republicans, with the hope and opportunity they'll be able to come back and continue to serve as Republicans in the state legislature.

WHAT?! I got news for you Attorney General, the Voting Rights Act does NOT protect incumbents (incl Republicans or Democrats), it protects VOTERS.

JEFFREY BROWN: Now, I said there were big stakes here, big implications. Explain it. For those who don't live in Texas, what's at stake here?

MARCIA COYLE, The National Law Journal: Well, I think, first of all, there are very important political implications. As you reported, Texas gained four new House seats.

And how that plan ultimately comes out may have a bearing on who controls the U.S. House of Representatives after the general election. And secondly, it's the Voting Rights Act, probably the most successful civil rights statute in our history. Whatever the court says about the Voting Rights Act and the role of federal courts in interpreting it and applying it is going to be very important to all of us, because we are in the midst of some very dramatic changing demographics in this country.