NJ redistricting upheld
The New Jersey Supreme Court has upheld the legislative redistricting plan against a challenge that Newark and Jersey City had been divided among three districts rather than two, as required by the state constitution. Here is the basic holding from the syllabus of the decision:
HELD: The New Jersey Constitution’s political boundary requirement may not be validly enforced with respect to Newark and Jersey City without violating the Supremacy Clause.
The Star-Ledger reports:
Although a 1966 amendment says each city should be divided into no more than two districts, the court said that provision has never been enforced and may not now be applied to Newark and Jersey City because doing so would violate federal law protecting minority voting rights.
The New York Times says:
The New Jersey Supreme Court today put an end to Republicans' long-fought effort to force a redrawing of the state's legislative districts.The court's 4-to-3 decision, released today, preserves current legislative boundaries until the next census, and it ensures that the election season now under way will not be disrupted. All 120 seats in the Legislature are contested this year.
The state was briefly thrown into confusion when an appellate court panel ruled in January that the map did not conform to requirements in the State Constitution. The Supreme Court stayed that order, however, while it reviewed the case.