Justices of the United States Supreme Court are set to hear a case from Virginia that could have dramatic consequences for how politicians draw the districts they represent.
Did Republicans illegally pack black voters into a handful of House of Delegates districts in Hampton Roads and Richmond? That’s the case justices of the United States Supreme Court will take up on December 5th.
Virginia legal expert Rich Kelsey says the case could end up being a landmark decision that creates new rules against racial gerrymandering.
“They are going to have to apply these rules, so we could see the changing of districts nationwide and the redistribution of voters nationwide as a result of this particular case. It’s a big case, and it’s a big deal that it doesn’t have nine justices."
For House members and potential candidates, the timing is terrible. Primary season is only six months away, and Quinten Kidd at Christopher Newport University says that puts a serious squeeze on the election calendar for 2017.
“People are trying to decide whether to run for a House of Delegates seat or run for reelection, and we’re going to get too close to the next House of Delegates elections, and it’s in nobody’s interest to wait until the last minute to redraw lines if we are going to redraw them."
A three judge panel rejected the original complaint, and the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case instead of letting lower court ruling stand.
