Hastert v. State Bd. of Elections

• Decision Date: 06 November 1991
• Docket Number: 91 C 4656 and 91 C 5472.,91 C 4643,No. 91 C 4028,91 C 4154,91 C 4028
• Citation: 777 F. Supp. 634
• Parties: Dennis J. HASTERT, Harris Fawell, John E. Porter, Philip M. Crane, Henry J. Hyde, and Robert H. Michel, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, Wanda L. Rednour, and Hannelore Huisman, Defendants. Wilfredo NIEVES, Al Johnson, Linda D. Coronado, Bobby Rush, Jesus Garcia, Rev. Willie Barrow, Rafael Boria, Miguel Del Valle, Robert L. Lucas, Leon D. Finney, Jr., Rev. Clay Evans, Joseph Gardner, Luis V. Gutierrez, Regner Suarez, Joseph Berrios, Miguel A. Santiago, Neomi Hernandez, Plaintiffs, v. ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, Hannelore Huisman, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, and Wanda L. Rednour, Defendants. Cardiss COLLINS, Charles Hayes, Rev. Wilbur N. Daniels, Rev. Claude S. Wyatt, Howard B. Brookins, Donald L. Williams, Percy Giles, and Ricky Hendon, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, John P. Dailey, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, and Wanda Rednour, Defendants. Ann ROSEBROOK, Daryl Barklow, Amiel Cueto, Richard Mark, Jeanelle Norman, Carolyn Toney, Lee Babcock, Raymond Oliver, Barbara Poshard, William Mathews, Gerald Hawkins, and Eva Savala, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, Wanda L. Rednour, and Hannelore Huisman, Defendants. The CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE, Craig R. Collins, Mark Allen, and Nikolas C. Theodore, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, John P. Dailey, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, and Wanda L. Rednour, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Northern District of Illinois

777 F. Supp. 634

Dennis J. HASTERT, Harris Fawell, John E. Porter, Philip M. Crane, Henry J. Hyde, and Robert H. Michel, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, Wanda L. Rednour, and Hannelore Huisman, Defendants.

Wilfredo NIEVES, Al Johnson, Linda D. Coronado, Bobby Rush, Jesus Garcia, Rev. Willie Barrow, Rafael Boria, Miguel Del Valle, Robert L. Lucas, Leon D. Finney, Jr., Rev. Clay Evans, Joseph Gardner, Luis V. Gutierrez, Regner Suarez, Joseph Berrios, Miguel A. Santiago, Neomi Hernandez, Plaintiffs, v. ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, Hannelore Huisman, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, and Wanda L. Rednour, Defendants.

Cardiss COLLINS, Charles Hayes, Rev. Wilbur N. Daniels, Rev. Claude S. Wyatt, Howard B. Brookins, Donald L. Williams, Percy Giles, and Ricky Hendon, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, John P. Dailey, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, and Wanda Rednour, Defendants.

Ann ROSEBROOK, Daryl Barklow, Amiel Cueto, Richard Mark, Jeanelle Norman, Carolyn Toney, Lee Babcock, Raymond Oliver, Barbara Poshard, William Mathews, Gerald Hawkins, and Eva Savala, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, Wanda L. Rednour, and Hannelore Huisman, Defendants.

The CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE, Craig R. Collins, Mark Allen, and Nikolas C. Theodore, Plaintiffs, v. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, John J. Lanigan, Theresa M. Petrone, Richard A. Cowen, John P. Dailey, Lawrence E. Johnson, David E. Murray, Langdon D. Neal, and Wanda L. Rednour, Defendants.

Nos. 91 C 4028, 91 C 4154, 91 C 4643, 91 C 4656 and 91 C 5472.

United States District Court, N.D. Illinois, E.D.

November 6, 1991.

COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED

Roger P. Flahaven, James R. Carroll, Asst. Attys. Gen., Chicago, Ill., for defendants Illinois State Bd. of Elections, et al.

Tyrone C. Fahner, Richard S. Williamson, Lori E. Lightfoot, George J. Tzanetopoulos, Mayer, Brown & Platt, Charles Frank Marino, David M. Marino, Chicago, Ill., for plaintiffs Hastert, et al. in No. 91 C 4028.

Linda Reyna Yanez, Arturo Jauregui, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Ruben Castillo, Kirkland & Ellis, Chicago, Ill., for Hispanic plaintiffs in Nieves, et al. in No. 91 C 4154.

Judson Miner, Jeff Cummings, Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, Chicago, Ill., for African-American plaintiffs in Nieves, et al. in No. 91 C 4154.

James D. Montgomery, Jean Templeton, James D. Montgomery & Associates, Chicago, Ill., for plaintiffs Cardiss Collins, et al. in No. 91 C 4643.

Edward T. Joyce, Paul A. Castiglione, Joyce & Kubasiak, P.C., Chicago, Ill., for plaintiffs Rosebrook, et al. in No. 91 C 4656.

Mark S. Grotefeld, Mark Emil Leipold, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ceresi, Chicago, Ill., for plaintiffs Chicago Urban League, et al. in No. 91 C 5472.

Nathaniel R. Howse, Howse & Howse and Robert E. Pincham, Jr., Robert E. Pincham, Jr., Ltd., Chicago, Ill., for intervening plaintiff Gus Savage.

R. Eugene Pincham, Chicago, Ill., for intervening plaintiffs Harold Washington Party, et al.

Leonard Amari, Amari & Locallo, Chicago, Ill., for intervening plaintiff Frank Annunzio.

James D. Adducci, Michael C. Dorg, Michael F. Braun, Schuyler, Roche & Zwirner, Chicago, Ill., for intervening plaintiff Sidney R. Yates.

Margaret Daley, Richard A. Devine, Pope & John, Ltd., Chicago, Ill., for intervening plaintiff Michael Zalewski.

Joseph A. Cari, Jr., Coffield, Ungaretti, Harris & Slavin, Chicago, Ill., for intervening plaintiff Alvin L. Winkler.

Anton R. Valukis, Jeffrey D. Colman, Thomas D. O'Neill, Jenner & Block, Chicago, Ill., and Clyde L. Kuehn, Kuehn & Trentman, Belleville, Ill., for intervening plaintiffs Johnny Scott and Ben Howard.

Harvey M. Grossman, Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU, Inc. and William T. Barker, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, Chicago, Ill., amicus curiae for A.C.L.U.

Before KANNE, Circuit Judge, NORGLE, District Judge, and CONLON, District Judge.

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

CONLON, District Judge.

In these consolidated cases, the court is called upon to select a congressional redistricting plan for the State of Illinois. Following the tabulation of the 1990 decennial census, the Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives informed the Governor of Illinois that Illinois is now entitled to only twenty representatives due to population changes reflected in the 1990 census. Illinois currently has twenty-two representatives. The Illinois General Assembly failed to undertake its constitutional obligation to devise a new congressional districting scheme for the state. Defendant Illinois State Board of Elections ("the Board") is presently bound to conduct the upcoming 1992 congressional elections under the terms of the 1981 congressional district plan implemented in In re Congressional Districts Reapportionment Cases, No. 81 C 3915, slip op. (N.D.Ill. Nov. 23, 1981), aff'd sub nom. Ryan v. Otto, 454 U.S. 1130, 102 S.Ct. 985, 71 L.Ed.2d 284 (1982). Plaintiffs, various citizen-voters of the state of Illinois and certain of their congressional representatives, filed these actions seeking a declaration that the existing congressional district scheme is impracticable and, more importantly, unconstitutional because of population and demographic changes reflected in the 1990 decennial census. Plaintiffs also seek to enjoin the Board from conducting the upcoming 1992 Illinois congressional elections under the 1981 plan.

The absence of a state-approved congressional redistricting plan has prompted certain of the plaintiffs to propose their own congressional redistricting plans in substitution of the existing plan. We conclude that the present congressional district plan is both unconstitutional and impracticable due to population and demographic changes represented in the 1990 census. We therefore proceed to analyze the competing congressional redistricting proposals submitted by the various plaintiffs under the relevant constitutional and legal goals and criteria enumerated by the Supreme Court.

BACKGROUND

I. General Background

The results of the 1990 census, issued early in 1991, show that the population of the State of Illinois increased from 11,426,518 to 11,430,602 between 1980 and 1990, an increase of 4,084 or 0.0357%. The new census figures mandate a reduction in the number of congressional seats apportioned to Illinois from 22 to 20. This is so because the Illinois population increased in smaller proportion than the United States as a whole.¹

The release of the 1990 census data and the resulting reapportionment of congressional seats triggered the provisions of Article 4, § 3 of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, under which the Illinois General Assembly is charged with the obligation of implementing a constitutionally sound congressional redistricting plan by June 30, 1991.² The Illinois General Assembly failed to meet its constitutionally mandated June 30, 1991 deadline. Indeed, that legislative body did not bring any redistricting proposal to the floor for debate, much less a vote.

II. Pre-Trial Proceedings

The Republican Party members of the current Illinois congressional delegation filed the initial action on June 27, 1991. Hastert v. State Board of Elections, No. 91 C 4028. The Hastert plaintiffs seek a declaration of the unconstitutionality of the present congressional districts due to population changes reflected in the 1990 census and ask the court to enjoin the Board from conducting the 1992 congressional elections under the current congressional district plan. Additionally, the Hastert plaintiffs submit for court approval their own statewide redistricting proposal to replace the current plan. On July 3, 1991, the Chief Judge of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals convened this three-judge district court panel to hear the Hastert action, as required under 28 U.S.C. § 2284(a).³

Also on July 3, 1991, a group of Hispanic and African-American resident-voters filed a similar action, styled Nieves v. Illinois State Board of Elections, No. 91 C 4154. In addition to seeking relief similar to that requested in the Hastert action, the Nieves plaintiffs seek the creation of an Hispanic majority congressional district which, they argue, is now mandated under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1973, because of demographic and population changes reflected in the 1990 census. To this end, the Nieves plaintiffs have submitted for court approval a proposed redistricting map for the minority districts in and around the City of Chicago. Upon subsequent motion by the Nieves plaintiffs, the Nieves action was consolidated with the Hastert action and assigned to this panel on July 17, 1991.

On July 24, 1991, a group of resident voters from various Illinois congressional districts, ostensibly acting on behalf of certain Democratic Party members of the Illinois congressional delegation, filed their own action, styled Rosebrook v. State Board of Elections, No. 91 C 4656. The Rosebrook plaintiffs submitted a statewide redistricting proposal. On the same day, Representative Cardiss Collins of the 7th Congressional District and Representative Charles Hayes of the 1st Congressional District, as well as various resident-voters from their respective African-American majority districts, jointly filed an action similar to those filed by the Hastert and Nieves parties. Collins v. State Board of Elections, No. 91 C 4643. The Collins plaintiffs submitted a redistricting plan which, like the Nieves plaintiffs, solely concerns the configuration of the minority districts in and around the City of Chicago. The Rosebrook and Collins actions were...