The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
The N.M. Supreme Court rejected the governor’s court-approved state House redistricting plan on Friday. She plans to appeal to federal court today.
When Judge James A. Hall approved Gov. Susana Martinez’s proposal for redistricting state House seats in January, he decided that, while her plan shifted things to the right, it did so less than the Democrats’ plan shifted things to the left.
So Hall chose the less-partisan plan – and one he deemed within acceptable limits.
Not so, the N.M. Supreme Court ruled Friday.
In a 4-1 decision, the court sent Hall back to the drawing board. My reading is that the justices effectively told Hall that, rather than choosing the least partisan plan, he should draw his own, non-partisan map of state House districts.
The justices in the majority directed Hall to create a “partisan neutral” map by Feb. 27. Court of Appeals Judge Jonathan Sutin wrote in dissent that Hall’s plan was “an appropriate stopping place” for the redistricting map.
You can read more here from The Associated Press. That link will also take you to the Supreme Court ruling and Sutin’s dissention.
Democrats were pleased.
“The ruling was a victory for the people of New Mexico and the principle of one person, one vote,” said the party’s state chairman, Javier Gonzales. “It was a rejection of Governor Martinez’s partisan maps that favored the interests of her political party over those of the people of this state.”
But the fight will apparently continue, keeping members of the House and anyone else planning to run for those seats guessing about the makeup of districts as candidate filing day approaches next month.
Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell blasted the Supreme Court for making “a partisan decision that says political considerations are more important than the constitutional mandate of one-person, one-vote.”
“This attempts to turn the United States Constitution on its head, and the governor is confident the final redistricting map will protect the constitutional rights of New Mexicans, even if a federal court is forced to step in,” Darnell said.
Capitol Report New Mexico confirmed what’s hinted at in that statement: Martinez will appeal to federal court today.
Onward.