Mapapalooza likely to include Supremes
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sarah Mansur…
Drawing new district lines for state and federal elections is the main focus for lawmakers when they begin the redistricting process every 10 years.
But Illinois Democrats, who control all three branches of government, have some incentive to redraw the boundaries for the five Illinois Supreme Court districts this year as well after a Democratic justice was defeated in a retention bid in the 3rd Judicial District in November.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, said Monday he expects the Democrats in the General Assembly will seek to redraw at least the 3rd District in the northwestern part of the state, spanning from Joliet to the Quad Cities.
“Quite frankly, if they don’t change (the 3rd) district, Republicans win and the balance of power would go to Republicans,” Durkin said at a virtual news conference. “That’s why there is going to be, I imagine, within the next few weeks, some type of map — and it could be this week — that is going to redraw that 3rd Supreme Court District to make it more appealing to Democrat voters.”
They’re gonna redraw more than that. The 2nd District based in the suburbs is ripe for the plucking.
* It looks like it’s coming…
* From the Illinois Constitution…
The State is divided into five Judicial Districts for the selection of Supreme and Appellate Court Judges. The First Judicial District consists of Cook County. The remainder of the State shall be divided by law into four Judicial Districts of substantially equal population, each of which shall be compact and composed of contiguous counties.
Current map…
- Norseman - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 12:16 pm:
If you have elected judges, one man one vote includes updating judicial boundaries. This remap has to be done.
- Numbers Guy - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 12:24 pm:
Everyone focuses on the election for the 3rd district, but the second district will be up in 2022 as well. And the Lake, DuPage, Kane, and Kendall would control that race under the current map and I would say that easily leans dem now.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 12:25 pm:
Pesky constitution….
A great many moving parts… granted, many “might” feel alienated including the “money folks” who seemingly took the seat to now see a remap make all that money spent seem like kindling in the fireplace…
But… demographics.
Also, if you’re not checking on Dan Vock’s twitter, you’re missing out.
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 12:30 pm:
==of substantially equal population==
The report I heard on NPR this morning indicated that the current boundaries were drawn in the 1960’s. I think the population distribution may have changed a bit over the last 50-60 years.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 12:37 pm:
Cook subcircuits have never been redrawn and the state also does the Cook Board OF Review
- DTAG - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 12:38 pm:
One person one vote doesn’t apply to judicial districts.
- zamdeuce - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 12:59 pm:
It’s true that one person doesn’t apply to judicial districts. Cook subcircuits also don’t apply to the judicial elections (at least regarding the Supreme Court judges, not sure about the Appellate judges).
What never gets mentioned is that the 3 Supreme Court judges from District 1 are ALL elected from Cook County at-large. It’s a huge advantage/privilege afforded to Cook County residents to get 3 votes on Supreme Court judge section (42% of the court). Everyone else in the State has a voice on the selection of 1 Court member, and thereby not afforded the same privilege.
Wonder which party has the advantage in an at-large partisan election in Cook County?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 1:05 pm:
=== It’s a huge advantage/privilege afforded to Cook County residents to get 3 votes on Supreme Court judge section (42% of the court).===
What is the percentage of Illinois residents that live in Cook?
===Everyone else in the State has a voice on the selection of 1 Court member, and thereby not afforded the same privilege.===
What is the percentage of the population of the state *not* in Cook? (4 seats)
===Wonder which party has the advantage in an at-large partisan election in Cook County?===
Being a victim of poor campaigns or candidates or attempts to win … maybe the GOP should look at the country with the most GOP votes differently.
- Just Another Anon - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 1:41 pm:
My money is that they move DuPage into the 3rd. That may be problematic for the Will County folks, who are used to having their own way in that district.
- Huh? - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 1:42 pm:
“One person one vote doesn’t apply to judicial districts.”
Then why didn’t I get the four extra ballots when I asked for them?
- zamdeuce - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 1:47 pm:
There is a “cleaner” way to update judicial boundaries for the purposes of Supreme elections. Instead of breaking up and reassembling the existing Districts, it would combine districts and thus respect the existing circuit courts and their affiliations to the current Judicial Districts.
Combine the 3rd, 4th & 5th Districts into one, at let the resultant combined population vote on 3 Supremes. This creates a District that is similar in size (population) to the 1st and give each resident in the “new 3rd” the same “voting power” as residents in the 1st. There would now be 3 Judicial Districts in Illinois, and the “new 3rd” would have 3 circuits to represent the old 3rd, 4th and 5th, and subcircuits for the current circuits.
Radical? Maybe, but simpler from an administrative standpoint, and fairer quite frankly.
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 1:55 pm:
===What is the percentage of Illinois residents that live in Cook?
40 percent I believe so 42 percent of the seats is fair. It would probably make sense to change the Constitution to make it by population only but the current system is about as fair in terms of Cook as possible.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 1:57 pm:
=== 40 percent I believe so 42 percent of the seats is fair.===
So there’s that…
- zamdeuce - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 2:18 pm:
Agree that 3 seats come from Cook, that’s on par with population. That’s not the issue.
In the 7 seat Supreme Court, per the Constitution, this is how many votes you get on who sits, depending on where you live:
Cook residents: 3 votes
*not* Cook residents: 1 vote
Cook residents have an outsized role in determining the makeup of the Court as is. Yes, 3 seats should come from Cook. But for the purpose of elections, break up the 1st into 3 equal population divisions, one for each seat (and not unlike Cook Board of Review elections), so each resident has 1 vote.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 2:22 pm:
- zamdeuce -
It’s that pesky constitution again…
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 6:30 pm:
Sorry Rich, I have to say it, this is your lamest headline ever.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 6:36 pm:
===lamest headline ever===
Scott Fornek loved it, so I got that going for me.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 6:56 pm:
(Sigh)
Everyone’s a critic.
If you have Fornek…
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 25, 21 @ 11:14 pm:
===But for the purpose of elections, break up the 1st into 3 equal population divisions===
Hey, genius, that’s what the GOP tried to do in 1997. Got knocked down as unconstitutional. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-03-08-9703080108-story.html
- zamdeuce - Wednesday, May 26, 21 @ 11:51 am:
Thanks for the source Rich. It was written just after my 8th birthday.