Congressman Ribble Joins Amicus Brief to SCOTUS to Fight Gerrymandering

Press Release

U.S. Representative Reid Ribble (WI-08) has joined with 19 other Members of Congress to submit a bipartisan Congressional amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court supporting the right of citizens to determine how federal elections and redistrictingare conducted in their individual states.

Oral arguments for the case, Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, have been set for March 2, 2015.

"People coming together and solving problems on common ground is the essence of good government, and that is what we have seen with the citizens of Arizona in this case," Ribble said. "Gerrymandering that makes districts increasingly extreme on either side of the political spectrum ultimately hurts all Americans. When a district is so heavily liberal or conservative that the only competition for a seat occurs during the primary election it can disenfranchise millions of voters. I commend the people of Arizona for working toward a solution for this problem, and hope that the Supreme Court will uphold their Constitutional right to do so."

In supporting the constitutionality of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the amicus brief makes these arguments:
· Congress has broad and express Constitutional authority to regulate the time, place, and manner of congressional elections,
· For more than 170 years, Congress has done so in a way that supports the people of Arizona to form a redistricting commission.
· Congress has in fact weighed in and has said in federal statute that states' redistricting can be done by more than the State Legislature proper.
· The use of an independent commission for redistricting is consistent with, and supports, core principles of federalism reflected in the Constitution and the Elections Clause itself, which seek to ensure a direct link between national representatives and the People.
· The use of an independent commission is an important, democracy-promoting development that will help reduce negative effects of severe partisan gerrymandering.

The bipartisan amicus brief was additionally signed by: Julia Brownley (D-Cal.), Ken Calvert (R-Cal.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), Duncan D. Hunter (R-Cal.), Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Cal.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Cal.), Tom McClintock (R-Cal.), Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Beto O'Rourke (D-Tex.), David E. Price (D-N.C.), Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Cal.).

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