Illinois Redistricting: State GOP Leaders File Suit Over New, Democrat-Skewed Map

Two of the Illinois General Assembly's most powerful Republican legislators filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday that claims the state's newly drawn congressional map violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act by restricting black and Latino voters' ability to be fairly represented in government.

In a prepared statement, Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego), one of the lawmakers who filed the suit, said his Democratic colleagues who created and implemented the new map "should be ashamed of themselves," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

"The Democrats passed a map this session that we believe is in direct violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act and some of our most basic rights under the constitution," Cross said. "We are optimistic that the court will agree with us and will help give our residents a Fair Map that accurately reflects our population, especially our growing Latino population."

The lawsuit further argues that the map deliberately looks to disempower the state's Republican Party for the next decade, when districts are next up for a remake, the Chicago Tribune reported. Many of the new districts, according to the suit, are specifically intended to "slither across traditional lines in order to place multiple incumbent Republicans into one district." In particularly precarious positions are five freshman Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) filed the lawsuit with Cross. Rep. Adam Brown (R-Decatur) and four individuals of black or Latino heritage were also named as co-plaintiffs in the suit, the Sun-Times reported.

Comments

[txmom54]

12:06 AM on 07/25/2011

Gerrymandering is out of control in republican run states. But they gripe when the dems do the same thing. In Texas the GOP even changed the map out of cycle. Unbelievable.

[sistahfriend]

03:01 PM on 07/21/2011

The GOTBPers are so funny. They want to cry about the redistricting, when in fact, they are doing everything possible to eliminate certain areas and people from voting in the 2012 election. It's okay when they do it, however, if someone does it to them they start complaining.

[ChangeAgent007]

01:52 PM on 07/21/2011

So.... They are using their own money to file this lawsuit right? Not taxpayer dollars?

[dennisc443]

12:58 PM on 07/21/2011

Just goes to prove, what ACORN's sow, they shall reap! Anyone for repeal of the Fourteenth Amendment? Return everyone entering the country after 1984 to their country of origin? Or shall we dust off the Eisenhower doctrine of 1954 were he sent everyone home, except for the one's that panicked and left of their own accorded!

[jdevans]

10:46 AM on 07/21/2011

What's that Republicans always say? Elections have consequences? Yes, they do.

[mamala4]

07:59 AM on 07/21/2011

Not fair! Not fair! Really? Was Florida 2000 fair? Was Ohio 2004 fair? There is no fair in politics.

[Nicole Antonopulos]

01:01 AM on 07/21/2011

I doubt Republicans nationally want this suit to succeed, as they have done, are doing just the same thing in multiple states. I wish states would pass laws creating non-partisan commissions to do the redistricting, but I suppose 'to the victor goes the spoils'.

[KevinOConnor]

02:48 AM on 07/21/2011

There was a strong attempt to establish just that, creation of a "fair" map, backed by IL Campaign for Political Reform, the League of Women Voters, IVI-IPO, the IL Farm Bureau, the IL Chamber of Commerce, and the Better Government Association.

Here's there site: http://www.ilfairmap.com

[Stuart Maguire Colman]

11:24 PM on 07/20/2011

The Republican Party, the people that brought you Gerrymandering??? Are you SERIOUS??

[waggys2]

11:18 PM on 07/20/2011

this is what the republican s have done here in austin tx fixed the boundaries as to get less democrats represented and make it more repulican this state is so full of conservaties that talk the talk abot not being racist nor biased but dont walk the walk if i were an educator, elderly or worked for a union ,and i am a women,our rights and jobs are being eliminated right and left because of all these conservative do gooders in power--the very rich do gooders i might add hope all of you in the republican group dont fall into any of the above catagories or you will soon see them do the same to you whatever state your in

[csjrac]

06:33 PM on 07/20/2011

Remember Texas you hypocrites

[libobstruction]

05:02 PM on 07/20/2011

No time to get wobbly GOP, do whatcha gotta do.

[Daniel Kemetick]

05:17 PM on 07/20/2011

You do realize that this is what Tom DeLay did in Texas to remove the Democratic districts right? The reason he took heat was he was already Speaker Of the House in Washington. This ain't illegal.

[slowhanddean]

04:28 PM on 07/20/2011

Isn't this what the Dems always do.Change the rules to stack the deck.

[Daniel Kemetick]

05:20 PM on 07/20/2011

The districts were redrawn based on the 2010 Census. Maybe you Repubs shouldn't have listened to Glenn Beck and Michele Bachmann when they told you not to take part.

[Kev Bat]

08:49 PM on 07/20/2011

Hmmm . Check out Michigan's redrawn GOP districts . They must have learned at the feet od the master .

[GpaJerry]

04:25 PM on 07/20/2011

Tim Johnson would seem to be the only Teapublican in Illinois that knows the truth.

[Daniel Kemetick]

05:18 PM on 07/20/2011

Tell me o wise Teapublican voter, what is the truth?

[GpaJerry]

05:27 PM on 07/20/2011

The lawsuit will fail! Bank on it!

[MilesLong]

03:55 PM on 07/20/2011

This is truly wonderful.

A bunch of Illinois white guys are using minorities as a front for their whining about majority Democrats legally drawing the district maps from the last census data.

Miles "Would They Like Some Wisconsin Cheese With Their Whine?" Long

[libobstruction]

05:04 PM on 07/20/2011

What does race have to do with this....nothing unless you're a typical lefty needing the usual crutch.

[dlnrjm]

05:07 PM on 07/20/2011

Because it states that in the article?

[Daniel Kemetick]

05:26 PM on 07/20/2011

Race is stated in the article. It seems the Repubs believe that the redrawn map is a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It's funny though, with majority Republican state legislatures they seem to not care about the people that specific laws protects. In other words, they're full of prunes.

[ColleenHarper]

03:51 PM on 07/20/2011

So when the GOP does it (e.g. Texas) it is fair, but when Democrats do it, it is unconstitutional?

Especially since the GOP is deliberately doing everything they can in states where the GOP controls the legislature and governor's mansion, to disenfranchise as many likely Democratic voters as possible.

Of course, this is all politics, and the GOP is so intent on what is good for the GOP that they are willing to destroy everything in their pursuit for power.

[bitsy79]

12:46 AM on 07/21/2011

Dems won the election, and "elections have consequences" -- isn't that the favored Republican line when they win?