Burnt Orange Report

More from New Mexico

By Byron LaMasters

Rick Perry yesterday hinted that he'll call a third special session to deal with redistricting if he needs to. The Austin American Statesman reports.

Gov. Rick Perry this morning hinted he may call a third special legislative session on congressional redistricting if this one expires on Aug. 26 without a new map.

"If the work of the state of has been done, I would expect everyone can go home on a Labor Day vacation," he said. "If not, we may be back here continuing to work on the issues that are important to the state."

With an upcoming deadline of October 6th for a redistricting plan to become effective for 2004, Republicans led by Phil King, are looking for ways to delay the filing deadline for Congress.

The Houston Chronicle ran a story on the Albuquerque reaction to the Democratic state senators. No one really cared.

The big story has been the talk among the Democrats of how to return. The Fort Worth Star Telegram has the details.

The Democratic senators in exile may ask the federal courts to halt to redistricting in the Texas Legislature, which would allow them to return home without having to participate in the effort that would likely end with their party losing clout in Washington.

On Day 4 of their holdout in an Albuquerque hotel, the 11 Democrats remained tight-lipped about their strategy to end the standoff with Texas Republican leaders. At their daily press briefing, several senators said they have to keep open every alternative, but they insisted that no decision had been made on whether to go to court.

"We're going to keep all options open," said Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas.

[...]

The request would seek to prevent Dewhurst dropping the Senate the two-thirds tradition, said the source, who requested anonymity to keep from putting his job at risk.

"The thinking being this: For the first time, minority and minority-impact senators ... now have, for the first time, enough votes to block legislation under longstanding Senate rules," the source said. "So rescinding the two-thirds rule and .. would be an infringement on minority voting rights."

Neither Governor Perry, nor Lt. Gov. Dewhurst were particularly pleased with the idea.

"That's like negotiating for hostages," Perry said at a news conference in Austin.

Asked to comment on the possibility that the Democrats might pursue court action, Perry simply said: "I have no idea."

Dewhurst issued a statement expressing dismay that the Democrats would consider asking a federal judge "to interfere with our state legislative processes."

Where would the Democrats go to court? Probably in south Texas where it could go to Democratic judges.

The source did not know when it might be filed or who might file it, and said no decision has been made to go forward. But if they decide to take legal action, court papers would be filed "somewhere in South Texas."

Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, helped fuel speculation about a potential court action when he told a reporter late Wednesday that South Texas' federal courts have proven friendly venues for lawsuits filed on behalf of minority groups.

On Thursday, he told the Star-Telegram that he was not "forum-shopping" a lawsuit as Dewhurst suggested in his statement.

"I am not saying we are going to court or even that we should," Lucio said. "But if we do, it would be my preference that it would be in a court that is friendly and fair. That's what I was trying to say."

So, that's where we stand for now.