Nothing is more blatantly political than the way legislative leaders gerrymander districts every ten years to protect their friends, punish their enemies and keep their party in control. Republicans are euphoric that their November 2010 takeover of state governments will give them the opportunity to redraw district lines in a way that will make it difficult over the next decade for Democrats to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the state legislatures they lost. It doesn't have to be that way. Fifteen states entrust redistricting to bipartisan or independent commissions, including California, where voters just expanded the power of their new reform panel after a referendum that pitted Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But even the best-intentioned reforms can get snarled in politics. In the name of competition, Iowa's panel drew district lines that knocked 67 incumbents out of their districts, so many of the incumbents moved and most won reelection anyway. Arizona's Citizens Commission tried to create competitive districts, but wound up bogged down in court for seven years fighting Voting Rights Act lawsuits. And Illinois' political parties would rather gamble on a 50-50 chance to gerrymander than try to achieve a bipartisan compromise, so once again they drew lots out of Lincoln's stovepipe hat for the right to name the tie-breaking commission member. Reform commissions can produce surprising results, however. New Jersey succeeded in unpacking thousands of minority voters from urban districts by arguing that minority candidates could win in the suburbs. Montana created legislative districts that finally gave the Sioux and Crow representation. And Connecticut created a perfectly competitive district for a Democratic incumbent and a Republican incumbent after the state lost a seat in the 2001 Census. It was a Connecticut Compromise that should serve as a model for other states. Contents: Introduction: November 2, 2010: Why Redistricting Matters 1. The Case for Redistricting by Commission 2. Reinventing Redistricting at the Constitutional Convention 3. Gerrymandering: Redistricting -- Or Not -- For Partisan Advantage 4. Redistricting and the Courts: Representation, Race and the Limits of Judicial Review 5. Legislative Redistricting in New Jersey: In Creating Minority Opportunity Districts, Less is More 6. Hawaii; 'Community of Interest' Outcry Sinks Canoe Districts 7. Montana: Crow Chairwom.n's Tie-Breaking Vote Sparks Constitutional Crisis 8. Connecticut: The Politics of Subtraction, or Breaking Up is Hard to Do 9. Pennsylvania: Gerrymandering by Commission, or How the 16th District Got Its Tail 10. Congressional Redistricting in New Jersey: The Politics of Mutual Assured Survival 11. Maine: It isn't Easy Being Green When Democrats and Republicans Draw the Lines 12. Vermont: In Bastion of New England Town Democracy, All Politics is Local 13. Iowa: Non-Partisan System is Favorite of Reforms, But Does Hawkeye State Provide a True Test? 14. Arizona: Competition, the Courts and the Redistricting Roller Coaster 15. Idaho: 'The Most hated Man in the State' 16. Washington: From 'A Royal Bellyflop' To a Deal in a Diner 17. Illinois: Stovepipe Democracy, or How to Draw A Map Out of Mr. Lincoln's Hat 18. Missouri: GOp Gamble on Supreme Court Pays Off 19. Alaska: Naivete, Non-Partisanship and the Elusiveness of Reform 20. Colorado: Supreme Court Partisanship and an Unconstitutional Power Grab 21. Arkansas: Huckabee Gets a Seat at the Table in a One-Party State 22. Ohio: Tale of the Tape Adds Spice to Redistricting Controversy 23. Indiana: When Backup Commission Takes the Reins, Let Buyer Beware 24. Texas: Partisan Legislative Redistricting Sets Stage for DeLay 25. California Dreamin': Can Schwarzenegger Reform Take Politics Out of Redistricting?
Donald Scarinci was born in Jersey City, NJ in 1956. His book, "David Brearley and the Making of the United States Constitution" received academic acclaim when it was published in 2005 as the first and only biography of this important behind the scenes player at the constitutional convention of 1787. His most recent book, "Redistricting & the Politics of Reform," published in 2010 has been used as a primer on redistricting in at least 15 states where this decennial process is performed by appointed commissions.
Donald's writing blends his academic training from New York University's Graduate School of Arts where he received an MA in English Language and Literature with his legal training and experience. Donald practices law in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington DC and is the founder of one of the largest law firms in New Jersey. His practice includes government law, business law, entertainment law, & health care.
In addition to his work as a writer and a lawyer, Donald is a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States to review and recommend coin and medal designs. He is an acknowledged authority and frequent speaker on the subject of medalic sculpture and art.
