North Dakota
Port: North Dakota got railroaded in redistricting lawsuit
MINOT — A federal judge
has imposed a new legislative district map
on North Dakota, and while some partisans and pundits are carrying on as though this is some great victory for voting rights, the reality is that it will change very little in our state’s politics.
The lawsuit that precipitated Judge Peter Welte’s ruling was rooted in the idea that the map approved by lawmakers in 2021 did not sufficiently empower Native American voters. I would be surprised if the new map increased, in any appreciable way, the number of Native Americans in North Dakota’s Legislature.
Reasonable people can make their peace with the new map. It’s going to create a difficult election year for a couple very unreasonable lawmakers. Rep. Donna Henderson, a Republican in District 9B, and Sen. Judy Estenson, a Republican in District 15, are among the lawmakers impacted by the new map. Both are strident populist culture warriors and unserious policymakers, and if they aren’t re-elected, it won’t break my heart.
Also, we should remember that the map this one replaced was also drawn by state lawmakers to increase the number of Native Americans serving in Bismarck. And it worked. Two Native American women were elected to the subdistricts created by the map. Despite the narratives around this lawsuit, the Legislature was already trying to achieve the worthy goal of increasing Native American representation.
But the process that led to this new, court-ordered map? It stunk.
Let’s start with the premise the court accepted. The plaintiffs argued, and the judge agreed, that because Native Americans are not elected to the Legislature in numbers proportional to the percentage of the state population they make up, the districts were gerrymandered.
Which might come as a surprise to all the Native Americans who supported and voted or the map, not to mention those elected because of it).
It’s a crude and unnuanced metric to use, but that’s what the flawed, broken Voting Rights Act requires.
And then there was the process. Welte issued his initial opinion, finding our state’s current map to be invalid, on Nov. 17. He then set a Dec. 22 deadline for our Legislature to develop a new map, or else he’d impose one on it.
In just 35 days, some of them over the holidays, our part-time lawmakers were supposed to explore their legal options, exercise their right to appeal the ruling, develop a new map, and then call themselves into session to approve that map.
Welte himself took 158 days,
from the date trial in June,
to issue his opinion.
Even when state officials appealed, the courts refused to budge on the hurry-up timeline. As I write this, the state’s appeal is still pending before the 8th Circuit, but that doesn’t matter. The court has ordered a new map, and state officials are obliged to comply.
North Dakotans now have a new legislative district map. One drawn by plaintiffs’ lawyers, and a judge, and not their elected representatives.
This, we’re supposed to believe, was a process in pursuit of fairness. It wasn’t.
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
New ballot measure guide to be mailed to North Dakota voters ahead of election
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