David DuBuisson: 12th district a gerrymander classic

Your “unendorsement” of Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds (“Morgan for Supreme Court,” Oct. 26 editorial) was disappointing, but a plausible position to take. I question the soundness of basing a judicial endorsement on one or two decisions rather than the overall character of a judge’s record, but that’s your business.

I do object, however, to your characterization of the 12th congressional district as the product of racial animus. Admittedly, the tortuous history of the notorious “I-85 District” is anything but simple. But there’s no denying that the beast was first created by a Democratic legislature in 1991 with the express purpose of making a black-majority district and a Democratic safe seat. It was done at the bidding of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department.

The effect of making other districts more amenable to Republicans was undeniable but incidental. So is the fact that the district produced a very fine congressman in Mel Watt.

The gerrymandering that changed the political face of North Carolina was the work of both parties and done at the expense of the residents of North Carolina.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 5:55 PM with the headline "David DuBuisson: 12th district a gerrymander classic."