BOEHM: Approach provides way to measure gerrymandering
It might be 2018 before the Supreme Court addresses potentially groundbreaking issues in redistricting with major implications for many states, including Indiana.
Ted Boehm / Special to IBJ
Articles
BOEHM: Legislative breakthroughs might be possible with Trump
With a Republican president, the congressional majorities may no longer offer knee-jerk opposition to anything that comes from the White House.
BOEHM: Move politics out of redistricting with outside commission
Unless the courts intervene, redistricting reform in Indiana requires a statute or a constitutional amendment, both of which require approval of both chambers of the General Assembly, which has lacked the will to add Indiana to the growing list of states that have achieved redistricting reform.
BOEHM: Trump needs real plans to go with his goals
Trump has given us no basis to judge what we can expect from a his presidency on the major issues facing the country.
BOEHM: Trump’s threat to disregard treaties is reckless
Trump now implies that the NATO treaty itself has become unenforceable, but he provided nothing to support that conclusion.
BOEHM: Past elections show third parties can tilt outcome
Who knows whether the third parties will draw more from Clinton than from Trump, but the most recent polls show Clinton’s high single-digit lead over Trump in a two person race falls to a virtual tie if Libertarian and Green candidates are in the race.
BOEHM: Voters all bear the responsibility to stop Trump
It is the responsibility of all of us as citizens, and particularly those in respected leadership positions in every aspect of American society, to speak out publicly and, importantly, enlist public media to point out the consequences of electing a buffoon as our president.
BOEHM: Supreme Court may be ready to tackle gerrymandering
Two critical questions are unanswered. Does the U.S. Constitution place limits on partisan gerrymanders? If so, how do the courts distinguish legitimate maps from impermissible ones?
BOEHM: Indiana should tackle quality-of-life issues
The IU Public Policy Institute recently placed a top priority on leadership development and quality of life in communities of all sizes. These can be advanced by private initiative with or without government support.
BOEHM: States should steer clear of refugee policy
Governmental actions classifying people by nationality, like race and gender, rarely survive judicial scrutiny.
BOEHM: Problems loom in plan for picking Marion County judges
The present law establishing the process for selecting Marion County judges has been held unconstitutional. So Sen. Mike Young, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and four other senators from Marion County have proposed a bill to overhaul the process.
BOEHM: Courts could draw the line on gerrymandering run amok
The challenge is to establish a test to distinguish unconstitutional infringement of voters’ rights from disparities that result from legitimate considerations or from the natural concentration of some populations. Help may be on the way.
BOEHM: Pay increase for Marion County pols is long overdue
The bipartisan proposal to raise the salaries of city-county councilors and the mayor was certainly reasonable. (The mayoral raise has since been withdrawn.)
BOEHM: A committee with great potential should persevere
It was clear from the commission’s first meeting, largely introductory, that there is a wide range of opinion among the members as to the need for any change, and the nature of any desired reform.
BOEHM: A door opens for appointing Marion County judges
The Legislature will get first crack at a new system, hopefully one that eliminates campaign finance and dependence on any interest group and also vets candidates for thoughtfulness, experience and patience.
BOEHM: Another credible voice for helping voters choose
Justice John Paul Stevens retired in 2011 after 35 years of distinguished service on the U.S. Supreme Court. He has now published a book advocating adoption of six amendments to the Constitution.
BOEHM: Airport is shortsighted location for justice center
Like almost everyone familiar with the Marion County courts, I applaud Mayor Ballard’s proposal to address the long-recognized need for a judicial center. The proposal would leave the civil courts in the City-County Building but consolidate the criminal courts and their associated agencies in one complex.
BOEHM: Solid reasons to build justice center now
Mayor Ballard proposes to create a judicial center that would bring the dispersed offices of the criminal courts, prosecutor, public defender and perhaps other agencies together with the county jail in one facility at a location to be determined, and free up the jail site for development.
BOEHM: Attack gerrymandering through the courts
Legislatures in Iowa and California have seen the wisdom of eliminating partisan gerrymandering and the polarized bodies it generates. The call for redistricting reform is growing now that the federal government has been shut down and the nation’s credit and the world’s economy threatened.
BOEHM: More to do to continue Indy’s ascent
Those of us who have seen the progress Indianapolis has made over the last several decades are justifiably proud of what has been accomplished. At the same time, most thoughtful observers agree on the need to address a range of problems—notably crime, fiscal pressures, education, transportation and neighborhood development.