Connecticut Reapportionment Commission

Connecticut Reapportionment Commission. The Connecticut Reapportionment Commission is a constitutionally mandated body responsible for redrawing the state's legislative and congressional district boundaries following each United States Census. Established by a 1980 amendment to the Constitution of Connecticut, the commission was created to manage the politically sensitive process of redistricting after the Connecticut Supreme Court had intervened in prior decades. Its primary task is to adopt new maps for the Connecticut House of Representatives, the Connecticut State Senate, and Connecticut's congressional districts to reflect population changes and ensure equal representation.

History and legal basis

The commission was established through a 1980 constitutional amendment approved by Connecticut voters, which was a direct response to prolonged legislative deadlock and subsequent judicial intervention in the 1970 United States Census redistricting cycle. Prior to its creation, the responsibility for redistricting lay solely with the Connecticut General Assembly, but partisan gridlock often forced the Connecticut Supreme Court to draw the maps, as seen in the landmark case Gaffney v. Cummings. The amendment, Article III, Sections 5 and 6 of the Constitution of Connecticut, was designed to create a more structured, bipartisan process to avoid defaulting to the judiciary. This reform followed a national trend of states seeking to depoliticize redistricting after rulings like Reynolds v. Sims established the "one person, one vote" principle.

Composition and appointment

The commission consists of nine members: four appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House from the majority party, four appointed by the Senate and House minority leaders, and a ninth, non-voting chair selected by the eight commissioners. If the eight commissioners fail to select a chair within a specified time, the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court appoints the chair. The chair must be an elector who is not a current member of the United States Congress or the Connecticut General Assembly. This structure ensures representation from both major parties, typically the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

Procedures and timeline

The commission must be appointed by the legislative leadership by February 15 of the year following the United States Census. It is then required to adopt a redistricting plan by September 15 of that same year. The plan must be approved by a majority of the commission's members, which necessitates bipartisan agreement. All meetings of the commission are subject to open meeting laws. If the commission fails to meet its September 15 deadline, the responsibility for drawing districts falls to the Connecticut Supreme Court, specifically a panel of nine state judges selected by the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. The court then has until November 30 to adopt a final plan.

Recent cycles and outcomes

Following the 2010 United States Census, the commission successfully reached an agreement, adopting new maps for the Connecticut State Senate, Connecticut House of Representatives, and Connecticut's congressional districts in 2011. The process after the 2020 United States Census was more protracted. The commission, delayed by late census data from the United States Census Bureau, did not reach consensus by the September 15, 2021 deadline. Consequently, the Connecticut Supreme Court appointed a special master, Nathaniel Persily, a professor from Stanford Law School, to draft proposed maps. The court ultimately adopted a final congressional map in December 2021 and legislative maps in February 2022.

Controversies and legal challenges

The commission's processes and outcomes have frequently faced lawsuits and allegations of gerrymandering. After the 2011 cycle, the congressional map was challenged in federal court in the case Larkin v. Delfino, though it was ultimately upheld. The 2021 cycle was marked by significant partisan dispute over the proposed congressional map, with Republican commissioners filing a federal lawsuit alleging a Democratic gerrymander violated the First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment. The court-appointed special master's involvement highlighted the recurring tension between the commission's bipartisan ideal and political reality. These challenges often cite the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and constitutional principles from cases like Shaw v. Reno.

Category:Government of Connecticut Category:Redistricting organizations in the United States