As seen on the newswires:
Justices on Tuesday gave Republicans a new chance to challenge boundaries drawn by a state judge in 2002. The judge handled the task because lawmakers could not agree on boundaries when the state received an additional congressional seat after the 2000 U.S. Census.
In an unsigned opinion, justices said that a lower court was wrong to prevent the lawsuit. Justice John Paul Stevens filed a dissent, saying that a “spurious” claim was properly dismissed by the lower court.
The Supreme Court is already hearing one dispute over district drawing, from the state of Texas, that involves a similar dispute. Arguments are next week.
I’ve written about next week’s case previously (here, here, and here), and I’ve made no bones about hoping that the SCOTUS reigns in runaway gerrymandering. Today’s ruling, although minor, might suggest that my hopes will be in vain.