Media Advisory: UB Law Student to Testify at Hearing of Erie County Advisory Committee on Reapportionment

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A University at Buffalo Law School student will testify at a public hearing of the Erie County Advisory Committee on Reapportionment on federal and state constitutional and statutory requirements of redistricting.

The hearing is being held April 13 from 5 - 7:30 p.m. on the ECC North Campus, 6205 Main St., Williamsville, in Kittinger Hall, K Building Lecture Hall, Room 100 (enter off Youngs Road or Wehrle Drive).

As part of a project for an advanced UB Law School seminar on "Law and Democracy," UB Law student Patrick Fitzgerald will testify at the hearing on federal and state redistricting requirements, including prohibitions against minority vote dilution.

"The Erie County Legislature has been downsized for the second time in less than seven years, and the redistricting process raises concerns about the representation of Buffalo proper in the Erie County Legislature," says UB associate professor of law, Michael Halberstam, who teaches the Law and Democracy seminar.

"Redrawing the lines based on the 2010 census figures is likely to heavily impact the City of Buffalo's representation on the Erie County legislature," Halberstam continues.

In his testimony, Fitzgerald will advise the committee on best practices, such as adequate representation of "communities of interest," which, Halberstam notes, are all too often neglected in favor of partisan considerations and incumbency protection.

"The purpose of our participation today is to help draw a fair plan for Erie County in accordance with our democratic principles: one person/one vote, the Voting Rights Act, state guidelines and traditional redistricting principles," said Halberstam.