From State Rep. Dan Ugaste:

REDISTRICTING – U.S. Census Bureau Counts Confirm that Democrats’ Redistricting Plan is Unconstitutional and Unlawful

The official 2020 decennial counts released by the U.S. Census Bureau on August 12 confirm that the Democrats’ redistricting plan, HB 2777, violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law, as well as comparable provisions of the Illinois Constitution.

Accordingly, no lawful redistricting plan was effective on June 30, 2021. The Illinois Constitution is clear that responsibility for the plan has shifted to the bipartisan Legislative Redistricting Commission.“Just as we predicted, the maps that were drawn by Illinois Democrats in a closed room and without public input, and signed by Governor Pritzker, have proven to be unusable and unlawful given the release of the U.S. Census data,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin.

“It is now up to the Legislative Redistricting Commission to draw the fair maps our state so desperately needs.

”The Democrats’ proposed House districts have population counts ranging from 92,390 (District 83) to 124,836 (District 5)—a difference of 32,446.

“Based on a test directed by the U.S. Supreme Court, that difference represents a total population range of 29.88 percent, which is three times the maximum range allowed by federal law.

Because the Democrats’ plan unequivocally violates federal law, it is and will be declared void.”

“Despite bipartisan pleas to wait for the Census number like 48 other states, Illinois Democratic politicians that were led by Governor Pritzker ignored the voting rights of their own constituents in an attempt to hold absolute power for another decade,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie.

“By breaking his promise and signing this map that has now been proven to be widely inaccurate, Governor Pritzker once again sided with political insiders against the people of Illinois.”

Illinois General Assembly Republicans Ask Federal Court for Summary Judgment.  

Following the publication of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census data last week, which confirmed Illinois Democrats’ map included district populations three times the maximum range allowed by law, Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin filed a motion for summary judgment in federal court.

“This was quite possibly the most secretive, non-transparent process in the history of Springfield politics,” said McConchie.

“The proclamation for a special session is admission that the Democrats’ enacted map was unconstitutional. Instead of ensuring the protection of Illinoisans’ voting rights, Governor Pritzker and his Democratic insiders drafted an unconstitutional map that sought to ensure their absolute power for another decade.

“With the data on the people’s side, we are confident the court will see through the Democrats’ charade and agree with our motion to void this map.

”The motion for summary judgment outlines that the facts and evidence presented in the case are so overwhelming that no real dispute still exists and requests an immediate ruling because a trial is no longer necessary to determine the case.”

“A motion for summary judgment is filed when there is no longer a dispute over the law and the facts,” Durkin said.

“The release of the Census data is game-set-match against the Illinois Democrats. Now knowing that their original map is unconstitutional, the Democrats are now scrambling to draw a new backroom map on short notice.

“There is no way to ‘put the toothpaste back into the tube’ as discussed in our summary judgment motion.

”If the motion is granted by the court, the current plan, HB 2777, will be declared unconstitutional and void without a lengthy trial and provide an opportunity for the process to go to a bipartisan commission.

Illinois General Assembly to reconvene on final day of August. 

“The House and Senate Democratic leaders have called a special session for Tuesday, August 31. In a key issue involving future Illinois elections, Census 2020 precinct-by-precinct data has confirmed the constitutional inadmissibility of the current redistricting maps enacted by the Democrats to elect members of the Illinois House, the Illinois Senate, and the state judiciary.

“Under existing State and federal law, Illinois should throw out the unconstitutional maps and move to a fast-track bipartisan process to draw new maps. However, the August 31 proclamation call asserts that the old maps can be “amended” into alleged constitutionality.

“