I have some questions regarding the VRA, and I'd be curious to see what the folks on her think.
Firstly, how much retrogression is too much? I'm drawing a fair SC, and Clyburn's district has a rather inflated Black population (I believe due to excessive packing by the GOP). Is it acceptable to decrease the African-American percentage if it allows the map to be fairer?
Secondly, I heard somewhere that drawing a compact, Hispanic-majority district in South Texas is not allowed because it would be considered packing. Is that true?
Retrogression only applies to section 5 jurisdictions, and after this year's SCOTUS ruling there are no currently covered jurisdictions. So as long as a SC plan meets with section 2 it will comply with the VRA.
Packing becomes a section 2 issue when it is used to deny a minority population of their ability to elect candidates of choice in other districts. It is also a factor if a district is drawn solely on the basis of race, which is not allowed.