Month: February 2017

Republicans to Hire Outside Counsel to Defend Redistricting Map

Posted on by Hamilton

On Feb. 2, the leadership committees in both the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly approved the hiring of an outside law firm to file a friend-of-the-court brief in defense of their redistricting map.

The redistricting plan, enacted as 2011 Wis. Act 43, was struck down by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. In their 159-page opinion, the court found that:

Act 43 was intended to burden the representational rights of Democratic voters throughout the decennial period by impeding their ability to translate their votes into legislative seats. Moreover, as demonstrated by the results of the 2012 and 2014 elections, among other evidence, we conclude that Act 43 has had its intended effect. Finally, we find that the discriminatory effect is not explained by the political geography of Wisconsin nor is it justified by a legitimate state interest. Consequently, Act 43 constitutes an unconstitutional political gerrymander.

Attorney General Brad Schimel will represent the state Election Commission in defense of the redistricting map. “In his news release after the court decision, Schimel noted that the “2-1 decision does not affect the results of [the November 2016] election or any prior election and legislative district boundaries remain unchanged until the court rules on any remedy.”

President Trump Nominates Judge Neil Gorsuch to Supreme Court

Posted on by Hamilton

Neil Gorsuch, a 49-year-old appellate judge in Colorado, was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Trump on Tuesday. Born in Denver, Colorado, Judge Gorsuch attended Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington, D.C. while his mother led the Environmental Protection Agency under President Reagan. He completed his undergraduate degree at Columbia University and went on to graduate in the same class as President Obama at Harvard Law School in 1991. He additionally received his doctorate at Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar.

In the legal realm, Judge Gorsuch has clerked for Judge David B. Sentelle of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Supreme Court Justice Byron White, and current Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.  He practiced law in Washington, D.C. at a large firm for 10 years and additionally served as principal assistant to the deputy attorney general in the Department of Justice before being appointed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado by President George W. Bush in 2006. In announcing Judge Gorsuch as his Supreme Court nominee on Tuesday, President Trump sought to appoint a legal conservative to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat. If appointed, Judge Gorsuch will serve as the 113th justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.