美國選區劃分之合憲性爭議：以政治問題為核心

The Constitutionality of U. S. Districting: Focusing on Political Question

美國之「政黨傑利蠑螈」現象，乃透過劃分選區來獨惠特定政黨之實務運作，經由「集中選票」將特定選民集中在某一選區，使其支持之候選人以過高之選票當選，或以「分散選票」將特定選民分散在不同選區，使其支持之候選人均落選。此等選制運作被認為是對於美國民主之詛咒，因其破毀民主之正當性，使政治勢力根深蒂固。在2019 年的最後一個會期，最高法院在Rucho v. Common Cause 案宣稱該案之爭議為政治問題，非聯邦法院得以審理，終結了35 年來司法實務找尋評價政黨傑利蠑螈可操作性標準之嘗試。然政黨傑利蠑螈侵害民主成功之健全及生機，不公平之選區劃分有效率地剝奪百萬美國人行使選舉權，使基本之民主原則崩潰，最新之Rucho 案在2019 年6 月宣告不再受理該等政治問題，雖然為先前政黨傑利蠑螈可司法性之紛擾畫下句點，然可預見地，此後將由政黨來完全主導選區劃分。或許將政黨傑利蠑螈之爭議以其政治性而擱置不受理，相對而言較為容易，然而Rucho案恐怕無法經得起時間之考驗，其引發之憲政危機相當深邃，對於民主之影響則至為嚴重，不過，反思回來，政黨傑利蠑螈之爭議固然是個問題，然是否將其保留給政治過程來處理亦為一個妥適之選項。

Partisan gerrymandering is the practice of drawing voting districts to favor one political party over the other. Partisan gerrymanders reduce the power of voters by “packing” them into districts that win by excessive margins and by “cracking” voters across multiple districts that each lose by slim margins. Partisan gerrymandering is anathema to American democracy. It undermines democratic legitimacy, entrenches political power. In one of last term’s most consequential cases, Rucho v. Common Cause, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that “partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts”, ending a thirty-five-year search for a manageable framework through which to evaluate partisan gerrymanders under the Equal Protection Clause. Partisan gerrymandering undermines the health and vitality of a successful democracy. Unfairly drawn maps effectively deprive millions of Americans from exercising their right to vote, striking at foundational democratic principles. The Supreme Court’s political question holding in Rucho v. Common Cause was the predictable endpoint of decades of confusion over the justiciability of partisan gerrymandering claims. But it was also the foreseeable consequence of the Court’s decision to allow partisan interests to dominate the redistricting process. It would be rather easy to dismiss partisan gerrymandering as “politics as usual.”. Rucho v. Common Cause will not stand the test of time. Its contradictions and flawed reasoning are too plain; its constitutional tensions too deep, and its implications for democracy too dire. Partisan gerrymandering is a problem. But maybe there are good reasons to think that the political process is the better place to address this problem.