The Supreme Court has set March 2 as the date to hear arguments in the case of Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission. The court will consider whether the Elections Clause of the United States Constitution and 2 U. S. C. § 2a(c) permit Arizona’s use of a commission to adopt congressional districts; and (2) whether the Arizona Legislature has standing to bring this suit.
The Arizona State Legislature has urged the “urged the Court to rule that the Constitution’s Elections Clause prohibits a state from cutting its legislature mostly, or totally, out of the process of drafting new election districts for its House members, after each new federal Census,” according to SCOTUSblog.
The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission turned out to be anything but independent despite voters’ wishes when they approved “Proposition 106.” Prop 106 amended the state constitution to shift the responsibility for drawing the lines of congressional districts away from the Legislature to the five-member commission.