I just think this is not true at all.  It never (or at least never to my knowledge, and I'm comfortable enough with my knowledge to therefore at least conclude "very rarely") happened before, and even now most states have shown restraint.  I think it unlikely that Richard's horror scenario will occur, and frankly, if the votes last November in California and Ohio mean anything, they mean that voters would revolt.  It's even one of the factors hurting Tom DeLay in polls.
 
Brad Smith

________________________________

From: owner-election-law_gl@majordomo.lls.edu on behalf of ban@richardwinger.com
Sent: Wed 3/1/2006 9:06 PM
To: election-law@majordomo.lls.edu
Subject: prediction on congressional redistricting



If the U.S. Supreme Court rules that Texas did not
violate the Constitution when it redrew the boundaries
of congressional districts in 2003 for partisan
reasons, then every time a state transfers power from
one major party to the other in the state executive
and legislative branches, we will see mid-decade
partisan re-redistricting. 

For example, I can imagine the North Carolina
legislature redrawing that state's congressional
districts in 2007 (assuming Democrats are in the
majority in 2007; the governorship is not up in 2006
and a Democrat is now governor).  In 2004 Democrats
only won 6 of the state's 13 US House seats.  Creative
redrawing should be able to get that up to 9 or 10.

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