SPRINGFIELD - Democrats in control of Illinois' legislature won't be so giddy about the latest U.S. Supreme Court decision issued Monday, which found independent commissions may be tapped to draw redistricting maps.
While the Constitution’s Elections Clause states that the “Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof,” Arizona voters wanted congressional maps to be drawn by an impartial, independent redistricting commission like the one Governor Bruce Rauner wants in Illinois.
The Court decided that independent commissions are permissible to be used by states to prevent gerrymandering the district.
It's likely Governor Rauner will be very happy when he reads Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's comments for the majority:
“The people of Arizona turned to the initiative to curb the practice of gerrymandering” and to ensure that voters chose their representatives, not the other way around, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the court majority in Monday’s decision. “The Election Clause does not hinder that endeavor.”
Before an independent commission could be enacted in Illinois, the state's constitution would need to be amended, an effort that can be initiated by a registered voter petition effort.
More on today's decision HERE.
