A Friday decision by Ninth Judicial District Judge Fred T. Van Soelen addressed allegations that Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico intentionally diluted Republican voting power in the state’s second congressional district via gerrymandering. The ruling ruled in favor of the Democrats’ heavily partisan gerrymandered map.
Judge Van Soelen’s 14-page decision, while acknowledging that Democrats had effectively diluted the votes of their opponents, concluded that the evidence presented by the Republican plaintiffs fell short of demonstrating the Democrats’ success in entrenching their party in the second congressional district. The judge specifically noted that the efforts did not reach the threshold of an “egregious gerrymander.”
The ruling underscored the court’s assessment that although Democrats had achieved a notable dilution of Republican votes, the evidence did not establish a level of success in entrenching Democratic dominance in the district. This decision comes amid ongoing debates and legal challenges surrounding redistricting processes and allegations of partisan gerrymandering in various jurisdictions across the country.
In his ruling, Judge Van Soelen emphasized the importance of evidence in proving claims of gerrymandering, stating that the Republican plaintiffs did not present sufficient evidence to support their argument that the redrawing of the electoral map aimed at entrenching the Democratic Party in the second congressional district.
Despite evidence presented in court, including text messages to nonprofits by Democrat legislators bragging about the gerrymander, the judge ruled in favor of the leftist gerrymandered map.
This does not surprise me. We need competent judges. New Mexico seriously sucks and I can not wait to take me, my family and my small business out of this state.
I agree. This comes as no surprise.
another idiot Democrat judge no less
New Mexico is done for. I am a 5th generation and have encouraged my children to live and work elsewhere.
15 generations here and we have left the state. Incredibly sad.
Same! I am a 16th generation New Mexican Hispanic… I left right before Lujan Grisham was elected. Our state is going through rapid gentrification by white leftists who are dead set on destroying everything our ancestors worked for and built. Our state used to lean blue with staunch conservative beliefs (because most Hispanics are pretty conservative), but the blue-haired leftists have ruined it.
Native New Mexicans need to wake up! Democrats are not your friends!
I hope to come back in a few years and try to clean it up…
So sad that even with the e-mails from Democrats bragging about how they Gerrymandered the 2nd District to their advantage that this Judge did not find sufficient evidence. Hopefully the Judge in the appeal will be able to see this differently.
Don’t hold your breath Kevin. The judges are all loyal Democrats.
Another corrupt communist judge. There was never any doubt about the outcome as judges are political appointees and are only placed there to enhance the power of the communist state.
I challenge all to talk to their neighbors, fellow workers, strangers on the street and ask about their beliefs in any subject the democrats push from killing babies to cutting off sex parts of our children with out the parents permission. I be most will answer with a conservative answer, then ask them to answer in their head if they voted democrat or other. Maybe they will realize they are part of the problem for voting like our schools taught us. Just saying!
exactly!!!!
They managed to delay the decision as long as possible… no shock. We all saw this coming. Now it will go to NM Supreme Court and be delayed there as long as possible. They can’t have it going to the US Supreme Court before the next elections. They know what they’ve done.
You really think you’re going to get a fair hearing? Democrats will do anything to further their agenda, including rigging court decisions. That judge will have a job for life, the democrats will see to that. Democracy is exactly what we have in New Mexico, mob rule. Just like Mexico and other banana republic countries. Until the people wake up it will continue and people will bitch of high taxes and no food to eat. My car insurance went $37 this year, why? Just because I live in New Mexico.
I never doubted that this would happen when we have communist judges in the state of New Mexico.
We live in a police state. Thanks to the simpletons that continue to vote for democrats. Or the democrats cheat.
Ok, I get the argument, but coming from a generational New Mexican, every politico should work for their elected seat. The Southern Politicians are rather comfortable cruising to wins in their areas. Now, you have to work hard to get that vote.
So go out and start working for that vote! Quit whining about it and go do something to meet those in the areas you feel weak in. Hard work hasn’t hurt anyone and it may just do you and New Mexico some good to get out and turn the Blue to Red!!!
Good grief already! Go ring some doorbells!
Southern NM politicians do work hard to get votes. Previous elections have been close even before the gerrymandering took place, but the changes made by the Democrats guaranteed that Democrat voters would have an advantage. Southern NM tends to be more rural and more difficult to go door-to-door and more expensive to advertise. There are higher concentrations of minority Democrat voters in populated areas which results in more absentee voters. The lazy candidates are the Democrats who basically ignore the south because they know they have the advantage if they just focus on the northern areas.
This is the everlasting gobbstopper in NM. The North this and the South that. WE ARE ONE! Period! get out and do what you must. Stop making excuses! It is just as expensive, if not more up North. It costs us the same to drive that long road to Hobbs and Silver City.
If you want the job, do what you have to do to earn it!
It would be overturned by SCOTUS
Don’t loose heart New Mexico! We The People need to keep the fight and prayers going. God Bless you neighbors.
WOW what a surprise!!!! The judge knew the outcome before he called it.Another puppet of mini mouse/rat who wants to confiscate our guns. But uses knives to cut the unborn out of their mothers wombs. They are screaming with pain as their tissue is reduces to a bloody mess and removed by a suction device that ends it all. We have many many little martyrs in Heaven being embraced by their Father. She can’t by this judge, He has her number.
This judge f——–d up.
Yvette Herrell is already campaigning over this travesty of justice.
CD2
Judge Soelen just screwed you
New Mexico — Land of Corruption
No surprise here. All New Mexico judges are in the grasp of the Lil dictator. And almost all law firms are on retainer by said person. And money means way too much to them. And like it or not when way over 60% of citizens are living off the government in one way or other they are going to vote for handouts. And then there are the dead folks and illegals voting as well as rigged machines. And our uniparty Republicans absolutely refuse to challenge the uncertified rigged machines. And if you don’t tow their line they don’t want you to run. I’d like to believe we can make a difference, but I sure have doubts.
Was there ever any doubt?
Note the Communist (Democrat apparatchik) euphemistic phrase “egregious gerrymander.” He gets to set an undefined threshold of “egregious.”