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HARTFORD, Conn. U.S. Rep. Jim Himes can breathe a sigh of relief now that heavily Democratic Bridgeport the difference in his wins in 2008 and 2010 will not be moved out of his 4th Congressional District.
That means Himes, a Democrat from Greenwich, is the favorite to win re-election in November.
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Friday against a Republican challenge led by House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, that would have resulted in major changes to the congressional map.
Although the plan originally advanced by Cafero that would have moved Bridgeport into the 3rd District had been scrapped by Republicans, once the redistricting plan went to the states highest court, any of the plans could have been adopted. A court decision was due by Feb. 15.
Trying to gain approval of a compromise plan it submitted to the court last week that would have changed the boundaries of the 5th Congressional District in western Connecticut, Republicans said the new plan does too little to accommodate population shifts.
But the court ruled Friday in favor of the plan developed by an independent expert referred to as a special master Columbia University Law School professor Nathaniel Persily in which only minor changes will be made to the states congressional district lines.
The Supreme Courts adoption of the congressional reapportionment plan comes as no surprise, given the previous instructions it gave to the special master to pursue a minimalist approach that comported with the Democrats request, Cafero said. We continue to believe that our proposal to undo the gerrymandering that took place a decade ago, particularly with respect to the 5th Congressional District, was reasonable and responsible.
Last month Cafero, co-chairman of the legislatures Reapportionment Commission, called on Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to withdraw from the congressional redistricting case before the court.
Cafero said Malloy should not have been involved because the governors action "smacks" of undue influence. He (Malloy) stated publicly he vehemently opposes the Republican redistricting proposals, Cafero said at the time.
Malloy filed a brief to the Supreme Court, along with Democrats and Republicans on the commission after the panel failed to meet its Dec. 21 deadline for coming up with a map that redraws congressional lines.
As part of the once-a-decade update of voting districts, state Republicans led by Cafero originally proposed moving Bridgeport out of the 4th Congressional District and into the 3rd District with New Haven.
Democrats were strongly opposed, saying the purely political plan by the GOP would greatly reduce minority representation in Bridgeport.
In the end, Bridgeport was not the issue that kept the two sides from reaching a deal but rather a disagreement over other districts.
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