Once aided by courts, can Latino politicians survive Supreme Court act?

*The Supreme Court’s announcement that it will hear a Texas case that challenges the one person one vote idea has sent analysts scrambling to study the possible consequences. Latinos, to a large degree, will be affected by the decision. This LA Times analysis breaks-down the possible outcomes in a clear way. This is important. VL

By Cathleen Decker, The Los Angeles Times

U.S. Supreme Court’s unexpected decision to take up a Texas voting case poses perhaps the most acute threat in a generation to Latino political strength in California. But how much of the threat actually materializes is decidedly less known.

In a situation rife with questions, one of the most ironic is this: Have Latino politicians, whose success was helped along by supportive court actions decades ago, become so ubiquitous that they can succeed regardless of new court decisions that might otherwise lessen their strength?

The Texas case was brought by plaintiffs who want only citizens to be counted in the crafting of voting districts; currently, all residents are counted, which boosts the number of districts in places like Southern California. Were the plaintiffs to succeed, many urban districts would not retain enough viable constituents to exist on their own. The court’s decision, which covers state and local elections but could be expanded to include congressional districts, will not be announced until early next year.

Under the worst-case scenario for Latinos who hold huge sway over politics in California, a court decision siding with the plaintiffs could force multiple Latino districts to collapse together, or to be merged with areas dominated by other types of voters. In theory, that could force titanic clashes between existing Latino players — or between Latinos and other minority groups — with some of them falling aside.

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