{"id":14006,"date":"2018-03-24T00:16:02","date_gmt":"2018-03-24T00:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/work\/arizona-state-legislature-v-arizona-independent-redistricting-commission-2\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T12:21:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T16:21:54","slug":"arizona-state-legislature-v-arizona-independent-redistricting-commission","status":"publish","type":"work","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/tl\/work\/arizona-state-legislature-v-arizona-independent-redistricting-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission"},"template":"","class_list":["post-14006","work","type-work","status-publish","hentry","work_type-litigation"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":"","work_type":157,"related_issues":[132,103,2066],"location":46},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"On June 29, 2015, the Supreme Court affirmed that the voices of regular Americans matter most\u2014and upheld the people\u2019s power to take redistricting out of the smoky backrooms of state legislatures and create a system that was transparent and public for drawing political maps.\r\n\r\nIn\u00a0Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0the Arizona Legislature sued the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, which voters created in 2000; the legislature claimed that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures a monopoly over drawing congressional maps. A ruling in favor of the legislature could have threatened 16 states with alternative redistricting systems and killed reform efforts in many more.\r\n\r\nCommon Cause collaborated with the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission to mobilize an amazingly diverse and bipartisan group of organizations and individuals to defend open and unbiased redistricting processes. Those efforts paid off. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court affirmed that citizens can use direct democracy to take the foxes out of the henhouse.\r\n\r\nThis was a major victory for voters, and we\u2019ll continue our work across the country to end political gerrymandering through the creation of people-driven commissions like the one in Arizona."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

Background<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nCommon Cause stood with Arizona voters on Monday, March 2, 2015 in the Supreme Court of the United States to support fair representation and oppose gerrymandering. In 2000, Common Cause led the fight for Prop 106, a ballot initiative that created the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC). After decades in which Arizona state legislators manipulated their districts and congressional boundaries for partisan gain, voters had had enough.\r\n\r\nAIRC draws congressional and state legislative districts after each census. It consists of two Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent who are not elected officials. They draw districts in a transparent process that prioritizes compactness, keeping communities together, and competitiveness and avoids the partisan games politicians played when they drew lines.\r\n\r\nIn 2012, Arizona state legislators filed a federal court challenge to the AIRC\u2019s right to draw congressional districts. The legislators argue that the U.S. Constitution only allowed state legislatures and not citizen commissions or any other entity to draw districts.\r\n\r\nCommon Cause worked closely with the Arizona IRC to organize amicus briefs supporting their right to draw congressional districts that reflect the will of the people. Common Cause also signed an amicus brief with other national voting rights organizations and Common Cause Illinois signed an amicus brief with Illinois reformers to highlight the problem of gerrymandering in the states and the importance of defending the right of people to have a voice in shaping elections."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

Amicus Briefs in Support of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission<\/h3>\r\n