New Jersey Redistricting Commission

The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington; the redistricting is completed within an independent, bipartisan commission. The apportionment of members of the Redistricting Commission is carefully balanced between legislative and executive majorities and is purposefully designed to allow the minority party an equal number of seats on the commission.

This commission deals with districts for the U.S. House of Representatives while the New Jersey Apportionment Commission deals with legislative districts for the New Jersey Legislature.

According to the state Constitution, New Jersey's commission has 13 members. The President of the Senate and Assembly Speaker each name two members; the minority leaders of both houses each name two members and the state's Democratic and Republican chairpersons each name two members. The 12 members then select a 13th tie-breaking member to chair of the commission. If they cannot agree on the 13th member, then each party submits a name to the state's Supreme Court, which chooses one as the 13th member.

The commission is required to hold three public meetings, but is otherwise allowed to meet in private until it releases its new map. New Jersey Constitution of 1947. Article II, Section 2

2013–2023 Congressional Map

On December 23, 2011, the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Committee consolidated New Jersey's then 13 House seats into 12 congressional districts due to the results of the 2010 US Census.

Even though both houses of the New Jersey State Legislature were controlled by Democrats, and New Jersey's Congressional delegation in Washington, DC was made up of a majority of Democratic members, the half Democrat and half Republican Commission named a Republican, John Farmer, Jr., as its tie-breaker. Farmer was the former Chief Counsel to Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former New Jersey Attorney General under Republican Governors Whitman and Donald Di Francesco. Earlier in the year, Farmer had been counsel to the New Jersey Apportionment Commission, but not a member of that Commission nor the tie-breaker. The tie-breaker on that Commission was Rutgers University Professor Alan Rosenthal, a Democrat.

Of the six Democrats on the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission, none were from Bergen County, which was the largest county by population in New Jersey.

On December 23, 2011, the Commission chose a map by a 7–6 vote, with Farmer voting for the map advocated for by Republican members. That map created a new 5th Congressional District, combining parts of the existing 5th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Scott Garrett, with parts of the 8th Congressional District, which was represented by Rep. William Pascrell, and parts of the 9th Congressional District, which was represented by Rep. Steve Rothman.Johnston, Sid. (January 2, 2012). "Congressional Districts Change for Several Towns" NorthJersey.Com.

The Republican plan chosen by the Redistricting Commission removed seven of the largest Democratic vote-producing municipalities from the 9th District (the Jersey City, North Bergen, and Kearny sections of the District; Fairview, Hackensack, Fair Lawn and two-thirds of Teaneck) and moved major Passaic County cities and towns (Paterson, Passaic and Clifton, Haledon and Prospect Park) into the 9th Congressional District

The incumbent congressmen in both the 8th and 9th districts, Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman, announced that they would run in the Democratic primary for the redrawn 9th Congressional District. Rothman was defeated by Pascrell in the 2012 Democratic primary

In describing the gerrymandered redistricting, ''Record'' editorial page editor Alfred Doblin wrote that "While many folks are looking at the new 5th District as being a combination of the existing 5th and 9th districts, it's really the current 8th District that is getting the lion's share of Rothman's 9th. Rothman's constituents are in what these folks are calling Pascrell's district. From a Pascrell point of view, the conversation is going very nicely indeed. No one has been suggesting that Pascrell is the man under the bus. Few suggested last week that the Republican map was really about two incumbent Democrats battling each other, yet that may very well have been the GOP's intent all along."Dobin, Alfred (December 23, 2011). "Steve Rothman in the Belly Of the Whale." The Record (New Jersey) Doblin continued by writing that Rothman "had been swallowed by a whale," like the Biblical Jonah. He described Rothman as "'a mensch', 'a person of integrity and honor.'"

The 2012 elections immediately after the redistricting resulted in six Democrats and six Republicans being elected, despite President Obama winning the state 58–41% that year.

However, the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections were dominated by a "blue wave" of Democratic wins, with Democrats winning 11 of the 12 districts.

References

External links

New Jersey Redistricting Commission
website

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Redistricting commissions
Politics of New Jersey