Ripon Advance News: Fitzpatrick leads call for legal standard to curb excessive political gerrymandering

Date
Expert

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) led dozens of current and former lawmakers on Wednesday in calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to limit partisan gerrymandering in the Gill v. Whitford case that will be heard on Oct. 3.

The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) challenged Wisconsin State Assembly electoral district lines that were drawn in 2011 as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander on behalf of 12 Wisconsin voters.

...

Trevor Potter, the president of CLC and former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said he was pleased to see many of “America’s most accomplished Republican leaders urging the Supreme Court to rein in excessive partisan gerrymandering.”

“They know that the legitimacy of all elected officials comes from being freely chosen by voters, not by seizing power from voters to keep themselves in control,” Potter said. “We are confident that when the justices see how pervasive and damaging this practice has become, the Supreme Court will adopt a clear legal standard that will ensure our democracy functions as it should.”

Read the full article