Simplicity is the way out of this thicket.  All reapportionment is political, and judging from the votes in California and Ohio the voters seem to understand that.  Whether a map is partisan or not isn't really the question to be asked.  Courts should be looking at population equality, respect for political subdivisions when possible (no precinct splitting), and compactness and contiguousness....nothing else.  No mid-decade redistricting should be allowed except under compelling circumstances, the Katrina relocation comes to mind.

Michael Richardson