Roy Cooper: The Redistricting King | Eastern North Carolina Now

    News Release:

Democrat Candidate for Governor Who Led Redistricting For Democrats Commits Massive Flip Flop on Redistricting

    "While he now calls the practice 'diabolical' and 'unfair,' Raleigh Insider Roy Cooper was the gerrymandering king when he was in the legislature back in the 80s and 90s, even defending his redistricting maps all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. With this flip-flop, Roy Cooper has shown North Carolinians that he will say or do anything to help resurrect the Democrat state machine in Raleigh."    - Kara Carter, NCGOP Press Secretary

    In July, Roy Cooper tweeted his support for "nonpartisan redistricting," calling the practice of gerrymandering "diabolical" and "unfair"

BUT


    When he was in charge of the redistricting process in the legislature for the Democrats, Roy Cooper was against nonpartisan redistricting commissions

          •  "Cooper has some reservations about giving the task to a commission because redistricting is necessarily a political process. Leaving the job to a commission removes it another step from the people while raising the possibility that partisan influences might sneak in under cover of bipartisanship. The senator has a point." (Editorial: "LET AN OUTSIDE BODY DO THE REDISTRICTING," Greensboro News & Record, 1/29/1997)

    While he served in the legislature, Roy Cooper controlled the Democrat's redistricting process

          •  "Democratic State Sen. Roy Cooper, who was the chief architect of the 1997 congressional redistricting effort" ("N.C. District Unconstitutional," The Associated Press, 3/7/2000)

          •  "State legislative redistricting impresario, Sen. Roy Cooper" (Column: Bruce Fein, "Racism-lite in redistricting," The Washington Times, 4/21/2001)

          •  Roy Cooper: "North Carolina may be the Bermuda Triangle of redistricting." (Editorial: "Great Salt Lake, get over it," Wilmington Star-News, 4/1/2002)

    Former Democrat Party executive director admits "there's no taking the politics out of" redistricting

          •  Scott Falmlen, former executive director of the N.C. Democratic Party: "Redistricting is a political function. There's no taking the politics out of it." (MARK JOHNSON, "N.C. HIGH COURT TOSSES OUT NEW LEGISLATIVE MAP SPLITTING OF COUNTIES NOT UPHELD; LEGISLATORS WILL QUICKLY RECONVENE," Charlotte Observer, 5/1/2002)

    By his own admission, Cooper hand-drew the 1997 legislative districts largely on the basis of race

          •  "Even defenders have said the legislative districts may be on shaky ground. Sen. Roy Cooper, a Nash County Democrat who was chairman of the Senate's redistricting efforts last year, has said the legislative districts 'in my opinion will be very hard to defend, because race was the predominant factor.'" (Jim Morrill, "DISTRICTS COULD GET AX TODAY," Charlotte Observer, 3/31/1998)

          •  "The 1997 e-mail from legislative staffer Gerry Cohen to former Democratic Sen. Leslie Winner of Charlotte and Sen. Roy Cooper, D-Nash - both active in the redistricting effort - reported transferring the "Greensboro Black community" into the 12th and 60,000 other voters, mainly white, out of it." (Jim Morrill, "SUPREME COURT EXAMINES 12TH DISTRICT'S ORIGINS," Charlotte Observer, 11/28/2000)

          •  "The Supreme Court, in a 1993 case involving the 12th District, ruled "racial gerrymandering" unconstitutional because it treats citizens differently based on color." (Jim Morrill, "SUPREME COURT EXAMINES 12TH DISTRICT'S ORIGINS," Charlotte Observer, 11/28/2000)

    Cooper's 1997 redistricting map was challenged in court on the basis of racial discrimination and a federal panel of judges found Cooper's plan to be unconstitutional

          •  "A majority-black congressional district drawn by the General Assembly in 1997 is unconstitutional, a three-judge federal panel ruled Tuesday in a trial over whether race played too large a factor in creating the district's boundaries." ("N.C. District Unconstitutional," The Associated Press, 3/7/2000)

          •  A three-judge federal district court found its boundaries unconstitutionally tainted because of their classification of voters by race in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. (Column: Bruce Fein, "Racism-lite in redistricting," The Washington Times, 4/21/2001)

    Cooper appealed the case to the Supreme Court

          •  "State Sen. Roy Cooper, D-Nash, head of the Senate's redistricting committee, said the state is appealing the ruling in hopes it can prevent the General Assembly's next redistricting effort from getting bogged down in a similar mess." (Taft Wireback, "STATE FIGHTS RULING ON 12TH DISTRICT: NORTH CAROLINA WILL ASK THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO STAY A RULING THAT CASTS THE STATE'S CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARIES IN DOUBT AGAIN," Greensboro News & Record, 3/9/2000)

    Cooper drew and defended legislative districts designed to protect Democrat incumbents and Democrat control in Raleigh

          •  "The General Assembly is a body shaped and controlled by party politics, said Sen. Roy Cooper, a Rocky Mount Democrat and the chairman of the Senate's redistricting committee. Lawmakers of neither stripe will ever agree to new congressional districts that disrupt the political careers of their parties' candidates, Cooper said. 'You need a district plan that protects the incumbents to get it past the General Assembly,' he said." (John Cochran, "PARTIES PLAN SIMILAR MAP FOR DISTRICT," Greensboro News & Record, 2/22/1997)

          •  "Sen. Roy Cooper, D-Nash, who heads the state Senate's redistricting committee, told the Democrats the plan offers them an 'excellent chance' for re-election" (Foon Rhee, "WHAT CAN YOU SAY GOOD ABOUT REDISTRICTING?" Charlotte Observer, 2/27/1997)

    Contact: Kara Carter
            NCGOP Press Secretary
        kara.carter@ncgop.org
Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )



Comment

( September 1st, 2015 @ 11:06 am )
 
Go back to the 80's and 90's and what was the current Governor doing / the legislators???? Now, come up to 2015 and their activities have no rhyme or reason when you look at the current maps.

PLEASE DON'T INSULT OUR INTELLIGENCE when we have watched NC go down in the last 2 years, especially --- now the Republicans can't get up a budget --- Only a fool would use this to NOT DECIDE to vote for another party which can cooperate and help this state become Progressive as it was before the latest turn to Conservatism.

I am not aware that Roy Cooper has announced for the position yet and the NCGOP is throwing mud at a shadow at this point . . .



Campaign 2016: Illegal immigration, birthright citizenship & The 14th Amendment Op-Ed & Politics, Bloodless Warfare: Politics Cut This, Go Home: Taxpayer Funding For Moral Monday Activist Group

HbAD0

 
Back to Top