Friday, the Democratic leaders of the Senate and House issued a Joint Proclamation (2021-143) calling the General Assembly in to a Special Session on August 31st. The purpose of the session as stated in the proclamation is to “amend the redistricting plan…or adopt a new redistricting plan” previously adopted as House Bill 2777.
The call for a Special Session has triggered a Republican response as it amounts to an acknowledgment of the unconstitutional nature of the maps that were passed on May 28th and signed into law by Governor Pritzker on June 4th. The facts in Federal lawsuit alleging the unconstitutional nature of the map are now admitted to by the Democrat defendants and we are asking the court to issue a summary judgment in our favor, sending the map-drawing process to the commission per the Illinois Constitution.
State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) issued the following statement:
“Today, the Democrat leadership has finally acknowledged what has been obvious since May 28th. The map they drew in secret without any public input using flawed data won’t pass constitutional muster. Their attempt to draw districts that not only protect their members but choose the people who can vote for them has failed. It is appalling that they think we will allow them to do this again on August 31st. I’m calling on every Democratic member of the General Assembly to take a public stand against this corrupt process. Do what you told your voters you would do. You all know what’s right. Now is the time to honor your word.”