The following are reviews or articles on the book, Lines in the Sand, since it was published by the University of Texas Press in February, 2007.  The first three reviews are reproduced below.

Quorum Report (March 1, 2007)

              "Amazing book weaves together threads of redistricting story . . . ."

 San Antonio Express-News (March 3, 2007)

           ". . .a good job of putting an otherwise hard-to-grasp subject into terms a layperson can understand. "

Austin American-Statesman (March 1, 2007)

              ". . .gives the first global view. . . ."

The Texas Observer (February 23, 2007)

             ". . . offering a carefully balanced examination of political motives and legal strategies."

The Austin Chronicle (March 7, 2007)

            "[an] exhaustive history of the 2003 (and much beyond) Texas Redistricting saga. . . ."

The Texas Lawyer (February 5, 2007)

           ". . . not only provides a behind-the-scenes look at the role DeLay played . . . but it also tantalizes readers with tidbits of trivia about the redistricting saga."

 

The Quorum Report

March 1, 2007      3:11 PM

REDISTRICTING SYMPOSIUM TOMORROW TEES OFF OF NEW BOOK BY BICKERSTAFF

Amazing book weaves together threads of redistricting story; to be explored by all day seminar tomorrow

Few people in Texas have had a closer view of Texas redistricting than attorney Steve Bickerstaff. A couple of weeks ago, the University of Texas Press released his new book, Lines in the Sand.

The book is a compelling story of the Tom DeLay inspired mid-decade redistricting that rocked the state and riveted political junkies around the country.

The book is an easy read and even for those who were tracking this incredible melodrama on a day to day basis, Lines in the Sand provides a wealth of new information. Bickerstaff connects the dots on one of the great power plays of modern America.

Mention Texas congressional redistricting and passions immediately run high. Although he sees frequent ironies, Bickerstaff's recounting of the story stays above the partisan fray. Republicans, Democrats and indpendents should find the book useful and engaging.

Even though it has only been available for a few weeks, Lines in the Sand has inspired an all day seminar tomorrow, March 2 at the UT Law School. The seminar will feature participants, combatants and outside observers weighing in on this defining moment in national redistricting politics.

ã Copyright March 1, 2007 by Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved

 

 San Antonio Express-News

Book Review: Behind the scenes of the redistricting battle of '03

Web Posted: 03/03/2007 05:45 PM CST

Rebeca Chapa
Express-News Staff Writer

Lines in the Sand: Congressional Redistricting in Texas and the Downfall of Tom DeLay

By Steve Bickerstaff

University of Texas Press, $34.95

Most people living in Texas in 2003 — and many living elsewhere — will remember the dramatic and breathless news accounts of House Democrats fleeing to Oklahoma and Senate Democrats to New Mexico to break quorum and halt a contentious vote on congressional redistricting.

In some ways, they read like fiction. Legislators sneaking across state lines in the middle of the night. Impassioned pleas from the floor for the return of the wayward representatives. A political tug-of-war, with both sides retrenching a little more each time.

"Lines in the Sand," by election law attorney Steve Bickerstaff, is a compelling, if somewhat lengthy account of the brutal battle over congressional redistricting that divided the Texas Legislature in 2003.

It tells the story behind the story, and in doing so, gives readers a glimpse at the nasty politics of representation in the halls of Congress.

Congressional lines are drawn by the state Legislature, but they impact who gets elected to federal office. Because Democrats are in the minority in state government, it stands to reason that their position on redistricting would be weaker than that of the majority party.

The 2003 quorum-breaking tactics worked for a time, but they were only a temporary response. Republican lawmakers had the numbers and eventually, after three special sessions and millions of taxpayer dollars, redistricting went through.

As a result, the number of Republicans in the Texas congressional delegation increased, and the GOP was able to cling to a slim majority in Congress in 2004.

Redistricting is nothing new, and in fact is a necessary procedure to incorporate changes in population and demographics over time. Typically, the lines that make up the various congressional districts are "redrawn" after each federal census.

Based on the new census data, the maps are configured to better reflect the people living in the new district. The maps must always take into account the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which ensures that minority populations are given a political voice and not marginalized.

As Bickerstaff notes, "race has become a proxy for party affiliation." Thus, Democrats operate on the assumption that Hispanics and African Americans are more likely to vote Democrat. It is in the interest of the party to create districts where minority representation is strong enough to elect Democrats.

Republicans, on the other hand, will tend to minimize the voting strength of minorities in favor of representation by Anglos, who are more likely to vote Republican.

Democrats had been in control of statewide government for more than 100 years. But the tide began shifting in the early 1990s, and by 1994, Republicans held every statewide office.

In essence, the 2003 redistricting was seen in GOP circles as both payback for past Democratic dominance and an attempt to better reflect the "new Texas" in Congress.

Myriad people were involved in creating the new map, but one figure in particular embodied the effort: former Texas Congressman Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land.

From his powerful perch as House Majority Leader, DeLay masterminded the funding and shepherded the plan through the Texas House. Using forceful fundraising groups such as Texans for a Republican Majority's political action committee, or TRMPAC, DeLay orchestrated the massive effort.

He resigned in 2006 in the wake of an investigation into whether DeLay and others broke state and federal money laundering laws related to TRMPAC's support of certain Republican candidates.

It was a major fall from grace for one of the state's most notorious partisans in years.

Bickerstaff does a good job of putting an otherwise hard-to-grasp subject into terms a layperson can understand. And he teaches a lesson about one of the greatest political tragedies in recent Texas history.

"It is tragic not because one side won or lost, but because it illustrates the misplaced priorities of our government officials and institutions at a time when the future of this country demands more," he writes.

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Rebeca Chapa is an editorial writer for the Express-News.

rchapa@express-news.net

San Antonio Express-News publish date March 4, 2007

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Online at: http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/books/stories/MYSA030407.0P.book.bickerstaff.1c9068c.html

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Austin American-Statesman (March 1, 2007)

Legal expert dissects DeLay's downfall At symposium and in book, professor analyzes former majority leader By Laylan Copelin AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Thursday, March 01, 2007 The saga of Tom DeLay and his plan to redraw Texas congressional districts to cement Republican dominance was full of political theater and intrigue that reverberates today. In "Lines in the Sand: Congressional Redistricting and the Downfall of Tom DeLay," retired Austin lawyer and University of Texas law professor Steve Bickerstaff gives the first global view of those events, from corporate donors seeking the favor of the U.S. House majority leader by secretly underwriting his plans for 2002 legislative campaigns, to Democratic lawmakers fleeing Texas to boycott DeLay's 2003 redistricting map, to criminal indictments two years later and DeLay's farewell speech last summer. On Friday, at an all-day symposium at the University of Texas School of Law, participants will dissect what Bickerstaff says was one of the most extraordinary political events of the past 50 years. The prosecutor and the defense lawyer for DeLay will be there, as well as experts debating the legal significance of DeLay's legacy, grabbing power for his political party while losing grip on his public career. Bickerstaff will discuss his book at an invitation-only lunch. DeLay, who is awaiting trial on charges that he conspired to launder corporate money into donations, will not attend. Bickerstaff warned that there may be too much detail for some in the 472-page book, which was published by UT Press. A redistricting expert, Bickerstaff explains the legal, as well as political, nuances of his tale. For historic measure, he provides background on four decades of partisan, racial and ethnic political change in Texas. Most of the book is a straightforward account. Bickerstaff said he allowed participants to read drafts of his manuscript for accuracy. But Bickerstaff's commentary at the end of several chapters leaves no doubt about his assessment. The longtime practitioner of redistricting law can admire the engineering of "the most carefully designed and effectively gerrymandered plan that I have ever seen." "What can I say?" Bickerstaff asked. "The partisan design was masterful." He criticizes the 2003 experience as "redistricting by cabal," frets that the DeLay model could be duplicated elsewhere, dismisses President Bush's claim of noninvolvement as nonsense and argues that the Bush administration has co-opted the Justice Department to further Republican interests. Although he notes that the Democrats' boycott of the Legislature is considered heroic by some, he quotes DeLay's associate Jim Ellis as saying the walkout galvanized Republicans, converting the issue from Republican gains in Congress to a Democratic slap in the face of the state's Republican leaders. Without giving a verdict, Bickerstaff concludes that critics were wrong to dismiss the criminal proceedings as frivolous. He credits the Travis County indictment, not the cloud of the federal prosecution of Washington lobbyist and DeLay friend Jack Abramoff, as the primary factor in DeLay's political demise. He dismisses DeLay's farewell address from Congress: "Congressman Tom DeLay's intense and ruthless pursuit of success for his adopted party and ideology (even if heartfelt) blinded him to the destructive effects of that success on the welfare of this nation, and to the negative legacy that he eventually would leave behind." lcopelin@statesman.com 'Lines in the Sand' symposium When: 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday Where: Eidman Courtroom, UT Law School Who: Open to the public More Info: Schedule at http://electionlawblog.org/archives/007843.html

 

Find this article at: http://www.statesman.com/search/content/region/legislature/stories/03/01/1redistricting.html