Every 10 years, based on the data provided by the U.S. Census, states redraw the country’s congressional and state legislative districts. It’s an intense and often contentious political process that shapes representation for the decade to follow.
The rules about how redistricting works, specifically about whether districts can be drawn to expressly favor one party over another, are being considered right now by the U.S. Supreme Court. The outcome of that case could have profound impact upon the health of our democracy.
We talk it over with Michael Li, Senior Counsel for the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. He is a leading national expert in the redistricting process and, as you might guess, has lots of thoughts on the topic.