Rhody Under Fire!

It's a long shot. But a new federal lawsuit seeking a major restructuring of the US House of Representatives claims Rhode Island, among other states, has disproportionate power in Congress. From the Associated Press:

JACKSON, Miss. A federal lawsuit that seeks to double or even quadruple the size of the U.S. House argues that citizens in Mississippi and four other states don't have enough representatives while Wyoming, Rhode Island and a few others get too many.

Three federal judges in Oxford, Miss., will hear arguments Friday in the lawsuit by a homeschooling activist and conservative attorney that challenges the way the 435 House seats are divided among the 50 states.

The suit, considered a long-shot by some experts, was filed against U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, whose department oversees the Census; Census Bureau director Robert Groves and others.

It claims the principle of one-person, one-vote is violated because congressional districts vary widely in population from state to state. It cites 2000 Census figures showing 905,316 people in Montana's single House district and 495,304 people in Wyoming's only district.