Opinion ID: 891859
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Clovis

Text: {53} In regard to Clovis, looking at the totality of circumstances based on the proof presented, Judge Hall saw no Voting Rights Act violation. He was in no way required to continue in force the nearly twenty-eight-year-old, elephant-truncated, unnaturally divided district created in Sanchez. Majority Opinion ¶ 20. The burden was on those contending that no change should be made to that then legally gerrymandered district to prove that no change should be made. The Majority errs in placing the burden on Judge Hall to have shown that certain population changes occurred in the district over the years that required a change. Further, it appears that the resulting district retained an Hispanic voting age population above 50%. In addition, Judge Hall found that [a]ll of the plans before the Court contain a significant number of Hispanic majority districts; however, the Court finds no persuasive evidence that Sec. 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires any particular Hispanic majority district be drawn. Judge Hall also found that [o]f all the plans presented to the Court, Executive Alternate Plans 1, 2, and 3 maintain the highest number of districts with a Hispanic [voting age population] over 50%. {54} I would not hang my hat as the Majority does on League of United Latin American Citizens ( LULAC ). Majority Order 8, 12 (¶ 7); Majority Opinion ¶¶ 17, 31, 38. The unique question of law in LULAC was whether it was unconstitutional for Texas to replace a lawful redistricting plan `in the middle of a decade,' for the sole purpose of maximizing partisan advantage. 548 U.S. at 456, 126 S.Ct. 2594. LULAC is a congressional redistricting case with very different facts and issues. Within the Gingles totality of the circumstances, Voting Rights Act evaluation requirement, LULAC addressed the proportionality factor and then considered citizen voting age population on a statewide basis after the district court made a finding regarding statewide citizen voting age population. Id. at 438, 126 S.Ct. 2594. LULAC does not set down a rule or principle that necessarily governs Judge Hall's determinations. {55} Those challenging the reapportionment with respect to Clovis failed in Judge Hall's assessment to prove the Gingles factors that would require a conclusion that the Voting Rights Act was violated and a remedial district must be formed. Furthermore, beyond the Gingles factors, neither the Majority nor a party has pointed out where data showing the percent of Hispanic citizen voting age population in the district in question was proved. In fact, one must question whether any underlying evidentiary support even exists to support such data for the particular district at issue. Brian Sanderoff, who worked on this case for the Legislative Council Service, and who apparently is Judge Hall's new Rule 706 expert at the strong suggestion of the Majority, testified that there was no data indicating the exact percentage of Hispanic citizen voting age population in the existing districts or in the districts contained in any of the plans. I believe the Majority erred in requiring Judge Hall to rethink the evidence, and the lack thereof, or obtain further evidence in order to arrive at what the Majority essentially holds is a mandatory Voting Rights Act remedial district. Majority Opinion ¶¶ 19-20; Majority Order 20-21 (¶ 4).