Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates expect Senate Democrats to push the courts this week to intervene in drawing the state’s congressional maps after the sides failed to reach an agreement by the end of 2011.
The constitutional deadline to approve district lines for the next decade came and went Saturday with no agreement in place. House Speaker Bill Howell said Monday he hopes to settle the issue when lawmakers reconvene for the new session on Jan. 11 but he anticipates Democrats will press for litigation to move the process out of the hands of the General Assembly. A lawsuit could emerge as early as Tuesday when the courts open following the New Year’s holiday weekend.
Once every 10 years, states reapportion district lines to account for population shifts unearthed by U.S. Census data, a procedure normally filled with political wrangling and backdoor deals.
Virginia lawmakers passed new maps for the House of Delegates and the Senate relatively unscathed, but when it came time to work on the state’s 11 congressional boundaries, there was more dissent between the two parties. The issue was put on the backburner in the months leading up to critical November elections and hasn’t been addressed since.
If the courts are forced to draw new lines, “all bets are off,” Howell said. Already a citizen lawsuit is in the court system.
At issue is whether to create a new minority-majority district near Richmond that could elect a second black congressman. The district represented by Rep. Bobby Scott, the state’s only black congressman, would become a minority influence district still capable of electing the popular longtime lawmaker.
Republicans passed a map earlier this year that maintains the status quo.
Assuming the legal challenge moves forward, “the courts will draw the districts after getting input from both sides. I don’t think they like doing that,” Howell said. “If I’m a federal judge and I see the legislature is coming back, I’d say, ‘Let’s give them 30 days to see if they can work this out.”
Democrats are likely less enthusiastic about that option, however, after losing control of the Senate and enter the new legislature with a 20-20 split in the chamber. Attempts to reach Democrats for comment Monday were unsuccessful.
There are eight Republicans and three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia.
