WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Supreme Court turned down a key element of a Republican strategy to tighten the party's control of the House of Representatives, possibly setting the stage for bitter litigation over the outcome of congressional elections on November 2.


The court refused Monday to uphold a Republican-engineered redistricting scheme in the state of Texas that is likely to win the party up to six additional House seats and sent back for review an earlier US federal court ruling that had found it legal.


"The judgment is vacated and the cases are remanded to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas for further consideration," the court order stated without further comment.


Coming just two weeks before the US presidential election, the ruling will not be able to affect the November 2 vote.


But legal experts said it was likely to give rise to legal challenges to congressional election results in Texas, a state that sends to Washington a whopping 32 members of the House of Representatives.


"The effect is that the Democrats live to fight another day," said Gerald Hebert, one of the attorneys representing Democratic challengers of the redistricting scheme. "This gives me great optimism... Today's decision helps us get to the place we want to go."


The fight goes back to early 2003, when Texas Republicans, guided by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, redrew the state's electoral map, adding conservative strongholds to traditional Democratic districts and diluting the Democratic support base.


The scheme is now expected to yield the Republicans up to six additional congressional seats, significantly complicating Democratic hopes of retaking the House, where Republicans currently hold a 227-205 majority.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...3&sid=96378801

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The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself. George W. Bush

Just procedural. Doesn't effect the Nov 2 election.....nor should it.

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“I’ve been fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career. Even before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work.” — Barack Obama, Speech to ACORN, November 2007

I have a feeling that James Carville is the puppetmaster in the increased number of legal challenges brought against conservatives in the last few weeks...

Either way, I am not sure which side I fall upon on this issue... tho the Democrat "walkout" makes it very hard for me to side with them...

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I was banned from godlike productions(over 400 times)... and loved it.

"I haven't made you angry, have I?" -Malcolm Reynolds

So much for states rights, I guess.

The 10th amendment to the Constitution of the United States:

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively,
or to the people."

So where exactly does the federal government get the right to tell a state how to select its representatives?

I don't think what the repulicans are doing is right, I just don't see how the federal government has any business in this matter.

It's not the federal government, Ozek. It's the Supreme Court. I think it's because AFTER Texas did this redistricting, the SC ruled on a case in Pennsylvania having to do with redistricting. I think they simply want the Texas court to review based on this additional information to see if they still believe they ruled correctly. It's no big deal at this point....and it will not effect this election. Nor should it.

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“I’ve been fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career. Even before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work.” — Barack Obama, Speech to ACORN, November 2007

Nothing was "stopped" as the title of this thread states. The election will continue and the proper representation will follow.

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All you need to know about the energy crisis:
ANWR Exploration Republicans: 91% Supported. Democrats: 86% Opposed.
Coal-to-liquid R's: 90% YES. D's: 78% NO.
Oil Shale Exploration R's: 90% YES. D's: 86% NO.
Outer Continental Shelf Exploration R's: 81% YES. D's: 83% NO.
Increased Refinery Capacity R's: 97% YES. D's: 96% NO

SUMMARY: 91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of America’s own oil and gas. 86% of House Democrats have historically voted against.

I thought that you demos were all paranoid about the us supreme court...come on now, they didn't support boy Gore, they must all be secret republicans up there...so what is your explanation for this ruling, among others?

eejuts