Opinion ID: 891859
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 21

Heading: Hispanic Majority District in House District 67

Text: It does not appear that the district court considered Hispanic citizen voting age populations in reaching its decision, and it should do so on remand. Whatever its eventual form, the relevant Clovis community must be represented by an effective, citizen, majority-minority district as that term is commonly understood in Voting Rights Act litigation, and it has been represented, as least in effect, for the past three decades. Remand Order at p. 20-21. [15] During the trial, this Court heard evidence regarding the minority population in Clovis and the history of District 63. Under the current plan, the bulk of the Hispanic population in and around Clovis was included District 63, a geographically large district which stretched from Clovis east through Fort Sumner and Santa Rosa, extending to the western boundary of Guadalupe County. The incumbent in District 63 resides in Santa Rosa, approximately 100 miles from Clovis. Under the current plan, the Hispanic voting age population in District 63 is 54.6%. [16] In the First Court-Approved Plan, the Court adopted a plan which changed District 63 and District 67. The First Court-Approved Plan reconfigured District 67 as a compact, majority Hispanic voting age population district which included the principle minority populations in Clovis and Portales. Previously, District 67 had not been a majority Hispanic voting age population district; therefore, the First Court-Approved Plan added one additional majority Hispanic voting age population district to this area of the state. Under the First Court-Approved Plan, District 63 changed to a geographically large, but still compact, district which extended from Fort Sumner and Santa Rosa to the northeast corner of New Mexico. The Hispanic voting age population of District 63 remained relatively constant at 54.0%. In adopting the First Court-Approved Plan, this Court noted the substantial increase in the number of majority Hispanic voting age population districts contained in the plan overall (Finding of Fact No. 71), but concluded, based on the totality of the circumstances, there was not persuasive evidence that Sec. 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires any particular Hispanic majority district be drawn. Conclusion of Law No. 26. This Court was of the view that the burden of proof on the need for a particular minority-majority district rested with the party proposing such a district. The Supreme Court Opinion shifts the burden of proof on this issue as it relates to a majority-minority district in Clovis: Any redistricting plan ultimately adopted by the district court should maintain an effective majority-minority district in and around the Clovis area unless specific findings are made based on the record before the district court that Section 2 Voting Rights Act considerations are no longer warranted. Opinion at p. 14. This shift in the burden of proof changes the outcome. This Court cannot find on the present record that any party affirmatively proved that Section 2 Voting Rights Act considerations are no longer warranted; therefore, this Court interprets the remand from the Supreme Court to require that District 63 remain as close as possible to its present configuration and that, at a minimum, the percentage of the Hispanic voting age population not be decreased. These requirements are met in the Final District Court Plan. In the Final District Court Plan, 89.7% of the population in current District 63 is also contained within the boundaries of District 63. The Hispanic voting age population for District 63 in the Final District Court Plan is 57.0%, an increase of 2.4% over the current District 63. These changes do result in a decrease in the Hispanic voting age population in District 67 down to 39.7%, thereby reducing by one the total number of majority Hispanic voting age population districts in New Mexico. For the reasons set forth above, this Court concludes that the District Court Final Plan complies with the Remand Order of the Supreme Court. Counsel for the Secretary of State is directed to immediately prepare an Amended Judgment and Final Order consistent with this Decision, obtain approval as to all counsel as to form, and submit it to the Court for immediate entry. [17]