DENVER Colorados new congressional districts will be drawn in the same place they have been for the past 30 years a Denver courtroom.
On May 11, the Legislature had not even adjourned for the year before Democrats and Republicans filed competing lawsuits to force a judge to draw a new map.
The stakes are high for U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, and Colorados six other incumbents.
Republicans proposed maps that make few changes to the current districts, except for in the Denver metro area. Democrats introduced maps that would shake up the current scheme and make more districts winnable for either party.
Every Coloradan wants to have accountable representatives. If we want accountable representatives, we need competitive districts, said Rick Palacio, chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party.
Republicans dont buy the competitiveness argument.
The problem with that is its not legal, said Ryan Call, the state Republican Party chairman. There is not one single jurisdiction in the United States that elevates competitiveness to a legal criteria.
Any attempt to make districts competitive will break up communities of interest, a legal criteria in drawing districts, Call said. For example, Democrats proposed a map that pairs the liberal university city of Boulder with Cañon City, a conservative prison town.
Now that the case is in court, it is possible that neither side will pursue the maps they introduced in the Legislature in April. Both Call and Palacio said their parties original maps were an attempt to force the other side to negotiate.
I think it was a good map. Perhaps it wasnt the best map. The maps that were put forward were to bring Republicans to the table, Palacio said.
Call said the Republican maps in the Legislature were a good-faith effort at compromise.
Now that this is in the courts, I think youll see Republicans proposing lines and districts that more adequately represent Colorado communities, Call said.
But the Legislatures four months of work, including public hearings around the state, wasnt entirely a wasted effort. It will be the main evidence in the case, and the citizen testimony will be the most important part, Call said.
Officially, the state parties are not involved in the lawsuits. But the plaintiffs are party loyalists from each congressional district, and two of the leading political lawyers in the state Mark Grueskin for the Democrats and Richard Westfall for the Republicans are handling the case.
Denver Chief Judge Robert Hyatt a 1987 appointee of Democratic Gov. Roy Romer has the case in his courtroom, but he could assign it to another judge.
Republicans have asked for a trial to begin by early October. Democrats expect it to start sometime in October or November. In 2000, the trial lasted about two weeks.
Before the trial, the two sides will file competing briefs and eventually introduce maps for the judge to consider.
The Legislature is supposed to draw new maps after the Census every 10 years to make sure each district has exactly the same population.
But since 1980, control of the House, Senate and governors office has been divided during a redistricting year, and the parties have never been able to draw a map without going to court.
Reach Joe Hanel at [email protected].
