In the latest volley over drawing Colorado’s congressional district lines, Republicans have asked a judge not to allow Democratic arguments that districts be politically “competitive.”
Democrats defended competitiveness as a factor, saying that after other, mandated criteria for drawing boundaries have been considered, courts can take into account how districts are politically balanced.
The legal filings from both political parties in Denver District Court add to a case that is starting to look like a Cecil B. DeMille production: It’s becoming harder to say who doesn’t have a part in the lawsuit than who does.
State Sen. Brandon Shaffer, a Democrat from Longmont who is running in the 4th Congressional District, has jumped into the case, arguing in favor of one of two alternate Democratic maps. The map would keep Shaffer’s Longmont residence in the 4th Congressional District, something the other map did not do.
House Speaker Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, called Shaffer’s legal move “raw ambition.”
“Brandon Shaffer manipulated the legislative process to advance his own political career,” McNulty said, “and now he’s using the court to try to get a leg up. People will see right through it.”
In a statement, Shaffer pointed out that the GOP map also keeps his house in the 4th District and said his legal brief was about preserving the district’s historical boundaries.
“As the brief says, the 4th CD has long been focused around Larimer and Weld Counties and northeast Colorado, and it simply makes sense to keep it this way since Colorado is not gaining or losing a congressional seat,” Shaffer said.
There have also been papers filed in the case by Larimer, Weld, El Paso, Douglas and Jefferson counties as well as a coalition of Latino groups, a clean water group, the mayor of Aurora and a coalition of three groups representing 58 rural counties throughout the state.
Both political parties went to court after Colorado lawmakers failed to come to an agreement on new boundaries for Colorado’s seven congressional districts. The boundaries must be redrawn every 10 years after the U.S. census to make sure each one contains roughly the same number of people.
The map drawn by Republicans makes minor changes to existing congressional boundaries while a Democratic map would shift nearly a third of all voters into new districts.
In their brief asking District Judge Robert Hyatt to preclude evidence of “competitiveness” as a factor to consider, Republicans argued that it’s a doctrine not supported by state law or case precedent.
The party argues that the applicable law doesn’t include “competitiveness” among current redistricting considerations.
Democrats argue that the court is “free” to consider competitiveness if it wishes.
A trial in the case is set to begin Oct. 11.
Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com
