Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt will appeal the decision earlier today that the Kansas congressional redistricting map that splits Wyandotte County in two is unconstitutional.
Schmidt will appeal the decision to the Kansas Supreme Court, according to a news release from the attorney general.
“Today’s Wyandotte County District Court decision may be the first redistricting case ever to make use of folk-song lyrics, the Buddha, and personal memories from the judge’s childhood. The state is promptly appealing,” Schmidt said in a statement.
In his decision, Judge Bill Klapper wrote that, “Perhaps it is first important to discover why the Kansas Courts are asked to enter this arena. We live in a time where advancing one point of view is more important than creating a functioning government that serves all its citizens. Truth has become amorphous to be shaped according to the speaker’s perspective. Science has become more dependent upon who is supporting the research than on scientific method.”
The judge also wrote, “How strong are Kansans? Strong enough to expect nothing more than a level playing field devoid of partisan advantage for one group of Kansans. Strong enough for the merits of the issue to be the deciding factor. Strong enough to make their political decisions based upon the content of a candidate’s character rather than the color of their political party.
“This court suggests most Kansans would be appalled to know how the contest has been artificially engineered to give one segment of the political apparatus an unfair and unearned advantage,” Judge Klapper wrote.
The judge’s decision is online at https://www.wycodistrictcourt.org/_files/ugd/f80b58_4e421c97418a48a5bc2a9fccf6ef2be1.pdf.
One must ask – if Judge Klapper were to be tasked with the duty of where to start redistricting, keeping in mind that “neutrality” being the forefront thought, why wouldn’t one start with the I-70 proposed dividing line? Myself, being a republican, would have to drop a boxcar load of red paint just to make a red spot on the map at the downtown area, which to me reads as all blue. That area doesn’t seem neutral to me and does look like a good area to start with the new boundaries.
Democrats only cry “fairness” when they are not guaranteed blue seats through re-districting, but toggle to “to the victors go the spoils” when a state legislature more favorable to them draws up districts meant to increase the chances of Democrats being elected.
What are your sources forecourt accusation.