U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Redistricting Commission

Today, the United States Supreme Court upheld an Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission in a 5-4 vote. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was joined in the majority opinion by Justices Kennedy, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan.

An article in the New York Times this morning notes, “About a dozen states have experimented with redistricting commissions that have varying degrees of independence from the state legislatures, which ordinarily draw election maps.” There continue to be efforts in Illinois to this affect, with many reform groups noting the need for redistricting reform at the state level.

The Supreme Court’s Majority Opinion, penned by Justice Ginsburg, states,“We see no constitutional barrier to a State’s empowerment of its people by embracing that form of lawmaking [in redistricting].” They cited the constitutional reasoning behind their argument, noting, “the Elections Clause [of the United States Constitution]…is not reasonably read to disarm States from adopting modes of legislation that place the lead rein in the people’s hands” when it comes to redistricting reform.

ICPR joined in a bipartisan Amicus Brief along with a group of prominent reform leaders urging the Court to support a ruling affirming the power of voters to choose the best method of redistricting. The Brief was prepared by attorneys at Sidley Austin, for whose assistance ICPR is grateful.

The appointment process and the decision whether or not to include the input of lawmakers in an independent commission will constitute a worthy debate in Illinois efforts moving forward. It appears that this decision strengthens the opportunity for Illinois redistricting reform through an independent commission, should the voters of Illinois voice their support for such an initiative.

Click here for the full article. You can access the full Supreme Court Opinion here.