The Supreme Court has decided to look at whether or not the recent redistricting of congressional seats in Texas violated the concept of one person, one vote. The court has given mixed opinions in recent years on whether or not partisan gerrymandering can be so egregious that it violates the notion of one person, one vote. Yet again, I could see this going either way. The conservative wing of the court seems firmly set against the idea that the court can intervene in these cases. That conservative wing is set to grow by a vote with the likely confirmation of Samuel Alito. However much conservatives may try to deny it, the court does have responsibility just beyond what’s written into the law. In addition to the liberal notion that the court must bend to changes standards of decency, notions about human rights, etc, is the notion that the court has some responsibility for ensuring the legitimacy of the whole system. As such, politics are an inevitable part of what they do. One can hope that in the various bits of sleaze and corruption surrounding this redistricting, the court may be swayed by that duty. How can you really let stand the notion that the end game for all political activity will just be squelching the opportunity of your opposition to any real power?
