Fwd: [DemocraticResearch] David Van Os comments on Texas Redistricting Case

Question: Does the Attorney General of Texas associate with people who have been indicted?

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2005

Contact:   David Van Os, (210) 332-7070



Democratic Attorney General Candidate Van Os
Comments on the Texas Redistricting Case


"A Texas Attorney General who understood that his job was to be the People's
Lawyer would have long ago sided with the people rather than with the
Republican Party political bosses when it came to Texas redistricting. Greg
Abbott may be concerned that Texans will learn the truth about their Attorney
General's complicity with the rest of the Republican Party's power-grabbing

political hacks in their arrogant pursuit of one-party rule - and well he
should be." - David Van Os



Van Os's Complete Statement:



"When he got the news that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments
in the Texas redistricting case, Bushite Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott
quickly issued a press release blithely stating that it was 'not surprising'
for the Supreme Court to hear arguments on the case and that he expects the
Court will find the Texas redistricting plan to be 'wholly constitutional.'



"First of all, every lawyer worth his salt knows that the U.S. Supreme Court
only rarely grants review in cases appealed to it.  Putting aside the fact that
his statement is misleading, one must wonder why Greg Abbott felt it necessary
to editorialize at all. Is he perhaps feeling defensive about the role he
played as Texas Attorney General in giving his legal blessing
to Tom DeLay's
power grab? Could he be feeling defensive about the fact that he was not
successful in trying to persuade the Supreme Court to summarily affirm the
lower court's decision without hearing argument? Or is he perhaps defensive
because the professional legal staff in the U.S. Department of Justice
concluded that the Texas redistricting was illegal?


"Remember, this is the same Greg Abbott who tried to convince the Texas courts
they had no authority to take action over an unconstitutional school finance
system. Even the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court had no stomach for that
stellar argument.


"A Texas Attorney General who understood that his job was to be the People's
Lawyer would have long ago sided with the people rather than with the
Republican Party political bosses when it came to Texas redistricting. Greg
Abbott may be concerned that Texans will learn the truth about their Attorney

General's complicity with the rest of the Republican Party's power-grabbing
political hacks in their arrogant pursuit of one-party rule - and well he
should be."