Reply to SCOTUS dismisses challenge to racially gerrymandered voting map for Virginia's House of Delegates

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Although the victory was favorable to the Democrats, I think this may be a trap as the decision wasn't about the evils of gerrymandering. I think SCOTUS  found that the Republicans had no standing to sue for a state decision...so in states where Democrats aren't in the majority and face an egregious gerrymandered map, SCOTUS will tell them they have no standing to sue.[/quote]
Yes, that’s what happens when the law is applied the same way to everyone, regardless of political affiliation.  Only a hyper-partisan would expect anything else.[/quote]

Except that of the states with egregiously gerrymandered districts to support a political party, 14 are in areas Republicans govern, and 2 are in an area where Democrats govern.  So this decision helps Democrats in Virginia but will hurt them everywhere else.  So much for one man, one vote.[/quote]
I'm not an attorney, so take this with that caveat...but I don't read the situation as quite so cut-and-dry. In this particular case, the House was appealing a lower court decision on the basis that the House, one chamber of a bicameral legislature, was harmed by the new maps. The ruling is that the House as an institution was not harmed by the new maps, even if new members were. There was a hint that if both chambers had brought the suit, the outcome might be different because it could be interpreted as a balance of powers issue. But the Senate was not part of the suit, so there was no evidence that the Virginia Legislature as a whole was harmed.

I don't see how the above would preclude private citizens who thought they were being discriminated against from bringing a suit against racial gerrymandering.[/quote]

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