Analysis | Eric Holder’s ‘opposition’ to gerrymandered districts in NY and Maryland

The partisan make-up of the subsequent Congress is being formed by fights over the congressional strains being redrawn in each state. Holder’s group has filed swimsuit in opposition to Republican efforts to attract maps that it says are gerrymandered to construct secure Republican seats and wipe away Democratic positive aspects in inhabitants in key states.

However each events can play this sport. CBS’s Margaret Brennan requested Holder about reporting that had aired earlier than his interview about gerrymandered maps in New York and Maryland — states managed by Democrats — that have been thrown out by the courts. She famous that Holder had not filed swimsuit in these states: “Do you may have an issue of what occurred there?”

Holder responded he “indicated my opposition” to the map drawn by Maryland’s legislature and that he wouldn’t have drawn the maps in New York. He added: “I feel you’ll be able to’t examine nevertheless what occurred in New York and Maryland to what’s going on in Texas, Georgia doubtlessly Florida, Wisconsin the place Republicans have actually gone to city by way of gerrymandering, essentially completely different from what Democrats have accomplished.”

Discover how Holder’s language is passive and thoroughly parsed when speaking about Democratic maps — and forceful when speaking about GOP maps?

Let’s study what Holder has mentioned and accomplished about these maps.

In the course of the redistricting course of, Holder has aggressively criticized maps drawn in states managed by Republicans. As an illustration:

• “The Republican led Texas State Home voted for the passage of an aggressively gerrymandered Home map, additional solidifying their objective to remove aggressive seats and double down on their rigged maps from ten years in the past. (Oct. 13.)
• “North Carolinians made it clear in the beginning of the redistricting course of that they needed to finish partisan gerrymandering. As an alternative of listening to the individuals, Republican legislators did the alternative right now by passing maps which are closely manipulated in favor of their occasion and that may deny actual political energy to probably the most populous and various areas of the state.” (Nov. 4)
• “Republicans within the Basic Meeting have rushed state legislative maps by way of a closed-off, opaque redistricting course of and failed of their obligation to steer and serve Georgians.” (Nov. 16)

However when the New York and Maryland maps have been drafted, Holder was silent. In Maryland, the place Democrats maintain seven of eight Home seats, the lone Republican seat was practically worn out, regardless that Republican candidates received greater than a 3rd of the votes. In New York, the place Democrats maintain 19 seats and Republicans eight, the map would have given Democrats 22 out of 26 seats. (New York is shedding one seat in redistricting.)

After courts rejected the maps and ordered new maps drawn, Holder issued these statements, which urged the brand new maps in these states ought to be largely just like the outdated ones.

• Maryland, March 25: “The decide is correct and the legislature just isn’t flawed. An adherence to equity and democracy ideas could end in a map not considerably completely different than the one initially drawn. The ideas outlined by Choose Battaglia are sound. I hope the Maryland legislature will observe them within the courtroom mandated redraw. And people Republicans who assist the courtroom in Maryland must also assist the applying of those ideas throughout the nation — in states like Texas, Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida.”
• New York, April 29: ““A good map is one which follows the census information and precisely displays the way in which a state’s inhabitants has shifted within the earlier decade. In New York that meant a inhabitants shift away from rural areas and into city and suburban areas, and an total enhance within the variety of individuals of shade all through the state. Whereas a brand new map could look completely different than the one drawn by the legislature, it ought to nonetheless proceed to replicate this reality from the census information. It’s also price remembering that each one maps submitted within the course of, from the fee maps to the legislature’s map, elevated the variety of seats winnable for Democrats — as a result of that’s what is according to the information.”

Each statements make some extent that Harrell Kirstein, a NDRC spokesman, emphasised in an interview: Census information indicated a shift in inhabitants towards city and suburban areas and with individuals of shade. So he argued the New York and Maryland maps no less than shift the brand new strains in that course, in distinction to states the place the group has argued minority inhabitants development was not mirrored within the maps. The Justice Division has filed swimsuit in Texas, saying the brand new district strains diminished the voting power of individuals of shade.

In a convention name with reporters on Feb. 10, earlier than the New York State Courtroom of Appeals rejected the state’s map, Holder did point out some slight discomfort with it, particularly its lack of aggressive seats. “Now, , I might need accomplished the map slightly otherwise, ? And I might say that about perhaps all the maps,” he mentioned, in accordance with an audio recording. “Even these ones that I feel would’ve accomplished fairly pretty. I’d wish to see extra aggressive districts.”

He then added a dig at GOP redistricting efforts, arguing the New York map nonetheless was higher than Republican states: “So I feel that what occurred in New York, , as I mentioned there might need issues I might have accomplished otherwise, however that map is much extra defensible than what Republicans did in Texas, what they tried to do in North Carolina, what they tried to do in Georgia.”

Concerning Maryland, Kirstein mentioned that Holder was not claiming on Face the Nation that he opposed the map earlier than a Maryland decide threw out the map in a ruling that known as it an “excessive gerrymander.” As an alternative he mentioned Holder’s remark ought to be understood as one thought — that he agreed with the decide. Kirsten additionally pointed to an interview that Holder gave on the Joe Madison radio present on March 30.

“I assumed the decide was proper, and that the legislature was not essentially flawed,” Holder mentioned. “And what I meant by that was that I can perceive what the decide mentioned there and was involved about what Democrats had accomplished in Maryland. The legislature adopted the Census Bureau information however not as intently because it ought to have. We have seen will increase within the variety of African People in Maryland, a rise within the Hispanic inhabitants, and enhance within the focus of the city inhabitants. However the Democrats went too far and the maps they drew weren’t maps that I might have drawn. I feel the courtroom in the end was proper and I feel now the Democrats ought to return and have a look at what the decide has mentioned and redraw the maps.”

Holder is a talented practitioner of the Sunday information reveals. An bizarre listener might need gotten the impression that Holder was not a fan of the gerrymandered New York and Maryland maps. However he actually didn’t object to them with the fervor that he did Republican maps — and apparently wouldn’t have minded if they’d handed muster with the courts.

Earlier than the New York State Courtroom of Appeals rejected the map, Holder had advised reporters he “might need accomplished the map slightly otherwise,” primarily to craft extra aggressive districts. The remark is roughly according to what he mentioned on Face the Nation — although he additionally advised reporters the New York map was “defensible.”

In Maryland, Holder mentioned he “indicated my opposition” to what the laws did and agreed with the decide. However his assertion after the ruling really didn’t point out opposition to the legislative motion: “The decide is correct and the legislature just isn’t flawed.” In an interview, he had mentioned: “I assumed the decide was proper, and that the legislature was not essentially flawed,” although he later added the “Democrats went too far.”

Even when the maps have been rejected, he urged the brand new maps ought to be related. That’s a wierd manner of exhibiting opposition. Holder earns Two Pinocchios.

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