(NEW YORK) In thousands of rulings over its storied history, the U.S. Supreme Court has broken with stare decisis, the doctrine of respecting prior decisions
The State Assembly is proposing a new set of redistricting maps this week, but members of several New York immigrant communities say they ve been left out of the process. When the bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission failed to reach a consensus last month, the job shifted to legislators. Because of the IRC s failure, according to members of the New York Immigrant Coalition, many immigrants feel their needs didn t get a fair hearing. .
The state s highest court takes up a challenge today of new election maps that heavily favor Republicans. The maps, drawn by a GOP-led Legislature, give nearly a dozen congressional seats to Republicans. A three-judge Superior Court in Wake County previously acknowledged the maps were gerrymandered, but ruled there was no basis to overturn them in the state Constitution. .
Advocates for older Michiganders are voicing concerns about a petition that could add barriers to voting and even put a voter s personal information at risk. The group "Secure MI Vote" is circulating a petition that would require people requesting an absentee ballot to share the last four digits of their Social Security or drivers license number. It s a way to get around needing the governor s signature on legislation, since Michigan law says a petition can override a veto if it gets enough signatures from the public, but Paula Cunningham, AARP Michigan state director, said it s important, especially for seniors, not to give out that kind of personal information. .
Half the states needed to call a constitutional convention are now on board with the idea, and Ohio could join them. Ohio House Joint Resolution 1 proposes a convention of states to draft amendments to impose fiscal restraints on Congress, limit federal power and jurisdiction, and set term limits for federal officials. Michael Gentithes, associate professor and faculty fellow in the Center for Constitutional Law at the University of Akron School of Law, said Article V of the Constitution does not provide a framework for a constitutional convention of states, so essentially, the group could write its own rules. .