NEWS REPORTS

March 15, 2005 - December 4, 2005

1994 CQ Report - The Court That Forgot About Politics by Alan Ehrenhalt in Governing Magazine - quote: We don't choose governors or senators to be justices any more, and we've paid a price for that.

1997 Governing Magazine - Redistricting Goes Digital by Geoff Earle quote: Drawing political maps is now a high-tech game. But almost anybody can play.

2001 Governing Magazine - The Mapmaking Mess by Alan Greenblatt quote: Drawing new political districts is always chaotic, but this round promises to be the wildest yet. Everyone at the table has an agenda.

2004 Governing Magazine - Frankfurter's Curse by Alan Ehrenhalt quote: Fifty-eight years ago, Justice Felix Frankfurter told his brethren to stay out of the business of drawing political maps. "Courts ought not to enter this political thicket," Frankfurter warned in Colegrove v. Green. "The fulfillment of this duty cannot be judicially enforced."

2004 Governing Magazine - Whatever Happened To Competitive Elections? by Alan Greenblatt quote: Nearly 6,000 state legislators will be elected next month. Most of
them face little or no opposition.


WHICH PARTY CONTROLS THE 50 STATE LEGISLATURES?

Democrats Control:
1. Alabama 63 - 42 -- 2. Arkansas 72 - 28 -- 3. California 47 - 32 -- 4. Colorado 35 - 30
5. Connecticut 99 -52 -- 6. Hawaii 41 - 10 -- 7. Illinois 65 - 53 -- 8. Kentucky 57 - 43
9. Louisiana 67 - 37 -- 10. Maine 76 - 73 -- 11. Maryland 98 - 43 -- 12. Massachusetts 139 - 21
13. Mississippi 72 - 47 -- 14. New Jersey 47 - 33 -- 15. New Mexico 42 - 28 -- 16. Nevada 26 - 15
17. New York 104 - 44 -- 18. North Carolina 63 - 57 -- 19. Rhode Island 60 - 15
20. Tennessee 53 - 46 -- 21. Vermont 83 - 60 -- 22. Washington 55 - 43 -- 23. West Virginia 68 - 32

Republicans Control:

24. Alaska 14 - 26 -- 25. Arizona 22 - 38 -- 26. Delaware 15 - 26 -- 27. Florida 36 - 84 -- 28. Georgia 80 - 100
29. Idaho 13 - 57 -- 30. Iowa 49 - 51 -- 31. Indiana 48 - 52 -- 32. Kansas 42 - 83 -- 33. Michigan 52 - 58
34. Minnesota 66 - 68 -- 35. Missouri 64 - 97 -- 36. New Hampshire 149 - 251 -- (the 3rd largest parliamentary body in the English speaking world BTW) -- 37. North Dakota 27 - 67 -- 38. Ohio 39 - 60 -- 39. Oklahoma 44 - 57
40. Oregon 27 - 33 -- 41. Pennsylvania 92 - 110 -- 42. South Carolina 49 - 73 -- 43. South Dakota 19 - 51
44. Texas 62 - 87 -- 45. Utah 19 - 56 -- 46. Virginia 38 - 60 -- 47. Wisconsin 39 - 60
48. Wyoming 14 - 46

Split
49. Montana 50 - 50

Non Partisan
50. Nebraska

I hope I got all those number right -- JB Feucht :o)


July, 2005 Toledo Blade Amendments would shift authority over Ohio elections by Jim Provance Blade Columbus Bureau

August 2005 USA TODAY Editorial/Opinion - Revolt builds to force competitive elections

August 2005 USA TODAY Redistricting plans (bi)czar by Greg Hartmann Editorial/Opinion

October 2005 Governing Magazine Redistricting Monster Maps by Alan Greenblatt quote: There's a growing consensus among good-government reformers that
partisan mapmaking is the cause of many, if not most, contemporary political problems.

November 2005 Boston Globe Alito disagreed with court decisions on reapportionment by Michael Kranish and Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent

December 2005 Washington Post Justice Staff Saw Texas Districting As Illegal by Dan Eggen Staff Writer

December 2005 C-Span Series Q & A 12/04/05 guest U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer quote "what I believe so much, that people have to participate in this democracy for it to work. I can‘t prove that, but I can say that the document, the Constitution foresees that they will participate. And if they don‘t participate themselves, I don‘t see how that system is going to work.".... read transcript or watch program... click on "Past Programs" at top of page

December 2005 Dallas Morning News AG says Texas remap approval not political quote: "Attorney General Al Gonzales said Friday that the Justice Department was not motivated by politics when it approved a controversial Texas congressional redistricting plan in 2003, overriding objections within the Civil Rights Division that minority voters would be harmed."..