The Supreme Court Just Came Perilously Close to Blowing Up Federal Elections
2 years, 9 months ago

The Supreme Court Just Came Perilously Close to Blowing Up Federal Elections

Slate  

The Supreme Court will not overturn a century of pro-democracy precedent and two centuries of historical practice to give state legislatures unlimited power over elections—yet. The court refused to block new congressional maps drawn by the high court of each state, declining—for now—to embrace a radical theory rejecting state courts’ authority over election law. But conservative scholars have devised a theory known as the “independent state legislature doctrine” that would give legislatures complete control over elections, including voting rules and redistricting. Alito, joined by Thomas and Gorsuch, dissented, declaring that the North Carolina Supreme Court had likely violated the elections clause by striking down the legislature’s congressional map. And he dismissed the North Carolina Supreme Court’s decision as mere “legislation”—even though the majority engaged in an exhaustive overview of the state constitution’s guarantee that “all elections shall be free.” “This guarantee of ‘free elections’ dates all the way back to the North Carolina Constitution of 1776,” Alito wrote, “but for 246 years that language was not found to prohibit partisan gerrymandering.” Implying that the court’s Democratic majority was motivated by politics rather than law, he fumed: “Only this year did the State Supreme Court change course and discern in the State Constitution a judicially enforceable prohibition of partisan gerrymandering.” Alito also complained that the North Carolina Supreme Court cited state constitutional guarantees of free speech, assembly, and association, which “make no reference to elections.” Unmentioned is the glaring fact that the First Amendment does not mention elections either, yet Alito has repeatedly used it to strike down election regulations.

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History of this topic

Supreme Court to hear case challenging Louisiana’s second majority-Black district
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Supreme Court to hear case challenging Louisiana’s second majority-Black district

Politico  

After a long, winding legal battle — which included a lower court finding in 2022 that the original map likely violated the VRA — the state legislature drew a new map that created a second majority-Black district in the state. The state, joined by civil rights groups that support the new map, appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking permission to …

Voting group asks S. Carolina court to order redraw of US House districts that lean too Republican
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Voting group asks S. Carolina court to order redraw of US House districts that lean too Republican

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A group that works to protect and expand voting rights is asking South Carolina’s highest court to order lawmakers to redraw the state’s U.S. House districts because they lean too far Republican. South Carolina’s congressional map was upheld two months ago in a 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said the state General Assembly did not use …

Proposal to create a new political mapmaking system in Ohio qualifies for November ballot
5 months ago

Proposal to create a new political mapmaking system in Ohio qualifies for November ballot

Associated Press  

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. COLUMBUS, Ohio — A proposal to change Ohio’s troubled political mapmaking system has qualified for November’s statewide ballot, the state’s elections chief announced Tuesday. Retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who presided over the high court during the legal battle, called the certification “a historic step towards restoring …

US Supreme Court sends Arkansas redistricting case back to judges after South Carolina ruling
6 months, 3 weeks ago

US Supreme Court sends Arkansas redistricting case back to judges after South Carolina ruling

Associated Press  

The Supreme Court on Monday sent a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ 2021 U.S. House map back to a three-judge panel, ordering it to review the suit in light of the high court’s decision against similar claims of bias in a redistricting case from South Carolina. A three-judge panel last year dismissed the suit, which claimed the redrawn map violated the U.S. …

Kagan Gives Fiery Dissent On SCOTUS Ruling Allowing Racial Gerrymandering
7 months ago

Kagan Gives Fiery Dissent On SCOTUS Ruling Allowing Racial Gerrymandering

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority Thursday to allow South Carolina to proceed with its gerrymandered map of congressional districts led to a blistering dissent by Justice Elena Kagan, who argued that the redistricting was designed to weaken Black voters’ influence. The 6-3 ruling, led by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, overturns a lower court …

Clarence Thomas Makes a Full-Throated Case for Racial Gerrymandering
7 months ago

Clarence Thomas Makes a Full-Throated Case for Racial Gerrymandering

Slate  

The Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision on Thursday in Alexander v. South Carolina NAACP is a devastating blow to the fight against racial gerrymandering. And yet, as bad as Alito’s opinion was, it didn’t go far enough for Justice Clarence Thomas, who penned a solo concurrence demanding a radical move: The Supreme Court, he argued, should overrule every precedent that limits …

Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote
7 months, 1 week ago

Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. “We are very relieved that SCOTUS agreed with us that it’s too close to the election to insert uncertainty.. We will have a …

Supreme Court upholds new Black-majority district in Louisiana that may elect Democrat to Congress
7 months, 1 week ago

Supreme Court upholds new Black-majority district in Louisiana that may elect Democrat to Congress

LA Times  

Supreme Court justices were acting on emergency appeals from civil rights lawyers as well as Louisiana’s Republican leaders. The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside a decision by two Trump-appointed judges in Louisiana and restored a state election map that may allow Black voters to elect a Democrat to Congress this fall. In a separate case last year, the Supreme …

The Supreme Court is asked to pause a ruling against Louisiana's congressional map
7 months, 3 weeks ago

The Supreme Court is asked to pause a ruling against Louisiana's congressional map

NPR  

The Supreme Court is asked to pause a ruling against Louisiana's congressional map Enlarge this image toggle caption Gerald Herbert/AP Gerald Herbert/AP The state of Louisiana and a group of Black Louisiana voters have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put a hold on a lower court order that is blocking Louisiana from using the state's new congressional map for …

South Carolina to hold 2024 congressional elections with map previously ruled unconstitutional
8 months, 3 weeks ago

South Carolina to hold 2024 congressional elections with map previously ruled unconstitutional

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal court on Thursday ruled that this year’s congressional elections in South Carolina will be held under a map that it had already deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory against Black voters, with time running out ahead of voting deadlines and a lack of a decision on the case by the Supreme Court. After South Carolina’s Legislature, which …

New York gets a new congressional map that gives Democrats a slight edge in fight for House
9 months, 3 weeks ago

New York gets a new congressional map that gives Democrats a slight edge in fight for House

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. The lines are similar to both the existing congressional map and a proposal drawn by the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission, yet appeared far from the aggressive partisan gerrymander many expected after Democrats took control of the redistricting process earlier this week. Democrats also reversed proposed changes from the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission that would …

Wisconsin Republicans urge state Supreme Court to reject redistricting report’s findings
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Wisconsin Republicans urge state Supreme Court to reject redistricting report’s findings

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans urged the state Supreme Court on Thursday to ignore a report from redistricting consultants that determined GOP-proposed legislative maps were unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders. While Republicans argue that the consultants’ findings are unsound, Democrats asked the court on Thursday to adopt one of their maps that the consultants found were “nearly indistinguishable.” The stakes are huge …

Wisconsin redistricting experts tell Supreme Court Republican map proposals are gerrymanders
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin redistricting experts tell Supreme Court Republican map proposals are gerrymanders

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Consultants hired by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to examine maps redrawing state legislative districts said Thursday that plans submitted by the Republican Legislature and a conservative law firm are partisan gerrymanders, but they stopped short of declaring the other four maps constitutional. “While this is just one step in this process, today is an important day for …

North Carolina redistricting lawsuit tries `fair` election claim to overturn GOP lines
10 months, 3 weeks ago

North Carolina redistricting lawsuit tries `fair` election claim to overturn GOP lines

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — Another lawsuit challenging North Carolina district lines for Congress and the legislature to be used starting this year seeks a new legal route to strike down maps when critics say they’ve been manipulated for political gain. Nearly a dozen voters are plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Wake County Superior Court that asks judges to declare …

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor vetoes Republican map as another redistricting court fight looms
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor vetoes Republican map as another redistricting court fight looms

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democratic Gov. The veto came a day after five of Wisconsin’s Republican members of Congress, along with the GOP-controlled Legislature, asked the newest liberal member of the state Supreme Court not to hear a lawsuit that seeks to redraw congressional district maps ahead of the November election. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos accused Evers of trusting …

GOP lawmakers ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider redistricting ruling, schedule for new maps
11 months, 3 weeks ago

GOP lawmakers ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider redistricting ruling, schedule for new maps

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Republican lawmakers have asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to stay and reconsider its finding that the state’s legislative district boundaries are unconstitutional. Attorneys representing a host of Republican state Senators filed a motion with the court Thursday saying they can’t meet the court’s Jan. 12 deadline for new maps. The court ordered the Legislature and other parties …

Wisconsin Supreme Court orders new legislative maps in redistricting case brought by Democrats
1 year ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court orders new legislative maps in redistricting case brought by Democrats

LA Times  

The Wisconsin Supreme Court listens to arguments from Wisconsin Assistant Atty. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn as Democrats had urged in a state with large Republican legislative majorities. “Because the current state legislative districts contain separate, detached territory and therefore violate the constitution’s contiguity requirements, we enjoin …

Wisconsin Supreme Court orders new legislative maps in redistricting case brought by Democrats
1 year ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court orders new legislative maps in redistricting case brought by Democrats

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps on Friday and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn as Democrats had urged in a redistricting case they hope will weaken GOP majorities. “Because the current state legislative districts contain separate, detached territory and therefore violate the constitution’s contiguity requirements, we enjoin the Wisconsin Elections Commission …

THINGS TO KNOW: Deadline looms for new map in embattled North Dakota redistricting lawsuit
1 year ago

THINGS TO KNOW: Deadline looms for new map in embattled North Dakota redistricting lawsuit

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — The clock is running out on a Friday deadline for North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature to draw new legislative boundaries compliant with the Voting Rights Act for two Native American tribes who successfully sued for new lines. A federal judge last month ruled that the state’s 2021 redistricting map violates the landmark 1965 civil rights law in diluting …

North Carolina’s election maps for 2024 are racially biased, advocates say in lawsuit
1 year ago

North Carolina’s election maps for 2024 are racially biased, advocates say in lawsuit

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina voting-rights advocates sued Tuesday to overturn all of the redistricting plans drawn by Republicans and being used starting with the 2024 elections, saying legislative leaders unlawfully weakened the electoral influence of Black voters. “The General Assembly targeted predominantly Black voting precincts with surgical precision throughout the state in drawing and enacting the 2023 Plans, at …

New York’s high court orders new congressional maps as Democrats move to retake control of US House
1 year ago

New York’s high court orders new congressional maps as Democrats move to retake control of US House

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House. “In 2014, the voters of New York amended our Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an …

Tennessee Supreme Court blocks decision to redraw state’s Senate redistricting maps
1 year ago

Tennessee Supreme Court blocks decision to redraw state’s Senate redistricting maps

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s highest court on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court’s decision that lawmakers must redraw the state’s Senate maps in a ruling that means the current legislative districts will likely remain in place for the 2024 elections. The same trial judges ruled to temporarily block the Senate map in 2022, but the Supreme Court reinstated the districts …

New North Carolina congressional districts challenged in federal court on racial bias claims
1 year ago

New North Carolina congressional districts challenged in federal court on racial bias claims

Associated Press  

N.C. — North Carolina Black and Latino voters sued in federal court on Monday seeking to strike down congressional districts drawn this fall by Republican state legislators that they argue weaken minority voting power in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in central North Carolina challenges four districts where the plaintiffs contend GOP leaders …

Appeals court takes DeSantis’ side in challenge to a map that helped unseat a Black congressman
1 year ago

Appeals court takes DeSantis’ side in challenge to a map that helped unseat a Black congressman

Associated Press  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature didn’t violate the state constitution when it approved congressional maps pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that helped the GOP replace a Black Democratic representative with a white conservative, an appeals court ruled Friday. The 1st District Court of Appeal reversed a lower court’s ruling that the map that rewrote U.S. Rep. Alan Lawson’s …

Ohio Supreme Court dismisses 3 long-running redistricting lawsuits against state legislative maps
1 year ago

Ohio Supreme Court dismisses 3 long-running redistricting lawsuits against state legislative maps

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The more than two-year legal battle over the maps of Ohio Statehouse districts that were crafted in response to the 2020 Census may be over. In a 4-3 ruling late Monday, the Ohio Supreme Court cited unanimous, bipartisan passage in September of a new round of legislative maps in dismissing three long-running lawsuits brought by Democratic and …

Judges rule against Tennessee Senate redistricting map over treatment of Nashville seats
1 year, 1 month ago

Judges rule against Tennessee Senate redistricting map over treatment of Nashville seats

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Republican-drawn map for Tennessee’s Senate seats violates the state Constitution because lawmakers incorrectly numbered the legislative districts in left-leaning Nashville, which affects which years those seats are on the ballot, a panel of judges ruled Wednesday. According to Wednesday’s ruling, the state’s attorneys “conceded” that they would not defend the Senate map in court and instead …

Wisconsin Supreme Court Hearing Arguments On Redistricting That Could Result In New Maps For 2024
1 year, 1 month ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court Hearing Arguments On Redistricting That Could Result In New Maps For 2024

Huff Post  

FILE - A man walks by the Wisconsin Capitol, Oct. 10, 2012, in Madison, Wis. Supporters of Wisconsin's taxpayer-funded school choice and independent charter school programs urged the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is located inside the state Capitol, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, to reject a lawsuit seeking to declare the programs unconstitutional, saying such a move would create chaos …

The Supreme Court refuses to speed the drawing of a new congressional map in Louisiana
1 year, 2 months ago

The Supreme Court refuses to speed the drawing of a new congressional map in Louisiana

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency appeal from Black voters in Louisiana to speed the process of drawing new congressional districts in the state. The appeals court said U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick was moving too fast and must give the state more time to consider a new map. Civil rights groups had hoped a new …

The Supreme Court on voting rights and gerrymanders: if you draw racist maps make sure you call them partisan.
1 year, 2 months ago

The Supreme Court on voting rights and gerrymanders: if you draw racist maps make sure you call them partisan.

Slate  

In this week’s big voting rights case, Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the Supreme Court heard arguments concerning whether to uphold a South Carolina congressional map that is avowedly partisan. In arguments on Wednesday, it became clear that the high court’s conservatives would rather toss out the evidence the lower court used to reach its decision, …

Samuel Alito Really, Really, Really Wants to Save This Racial Gerrymander in South Carolina
1 year, 2 months ago

Samuel Alito Really, Really, Really Wants to Save This Racial Gerrymander in South Carolina

Slate  

This is part of Opening Arguments, Slate’s coverage of the start of the latest Supreme Court term. According to past precedent, overturning the factual findings of that panel—including its weighing of the voluminous evidence and testimony of expert witnesses—would require the Supreme Court to find “clear error” in the district court’s findings. It appeared things might be going toward that …

New Mexico congressional map that was approved by Democrats can stand, a judge says
1 year, 2 months ago

New Mexico congressional map that was approved by Democrats can stand, a judge says

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — New congressional boundaries approved by Democrats that divided up a politically conservative oil-producing region in New Mexico don’t violate the state constitution, a judge ruled in an order published Friday. “The court ultimately determined that the closeness of the 2022 election in Congressional District 2 — an election where an incumbent Republican and longtime officeholder and …

Another round of Ohio Statehouse maps has been challenged in court, despite bipartisan support
1 year, 2 months ago

Another round of Ohio Statehouse maps has been challenged in court, despite bipartisan support

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Advocacy groups fighting Ohio’s political maps in court formally objected Thursday to the latest round of Statehouse districts, which they see as once again unfairly drawn to favor Republicans. The parties have “no choice” but to continue their challenge against the new maps, said Yurij Rudensky, senior counsel in the Democracy Program operation by New York University …

A Supreme Court redistricting ruling gave hope to Black voters. They’re still waiting for new maps
1 year, 3 months ago

A Supreme Court redistricting ruling gave hope to Black voters. They’re still waiting for new maps

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s decision siding with Black voters in an Alabama redistricting case gave Democrats and voting rights activists a surprising opportunity before the 2024 elections. Shawn Donahue of the State University of New York at Buffalo, an expert on voting rights and redistricting, said the Supreme Court could put a quick end to the delays and “summarily …

Ohio will keep GOP-drawn congressional maps in 2024 elections, ending court challenge
1 year, 3 months ago

Ohio will keep GOP-drawn congressional maps in 2024 elections, ending court challenge

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Congressional district maps previously deemed unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court will be used in 2024 after the high court dismissed legal challenges against the Republican-drawn districts on Thursday. The Ohio voting-rights groups that brought forward the challenges moved to dismiss their own lawsuits against the Republican-drawn maps earlier this week, saying the turmoil isn’t in the …

Legal fights over voting districts could play role in control of Congress for 2024
1 year, 3 months ago

Legal fights over voting districts could play role in control of Congress for 2024

Associated Press  

Democrats got a potential boost for the 2024 congressional elections as courts in Alabama and Florida ruled recently that Republican-led legislatures had unfairly diluted the voting power of Black residents. Another trial alleging racial violations in voting districts got underway Tuesday in Georgia, where Democrats also hope to make gains, while voting rights advocates in Ohio decided to drop a …

Voting rights groups ask to dismiss lawsuit challenging gerrymandered Ohio congressional map
1 year, 3 months ago

Voting rights groups ask to dismiss lawsuit challenging gerrymandered Ohio congressional map

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio voting-rights groups moved to dismiss their lawsuit against Ohio’s unconstitutional congressional map on Tuesday, arguing that prolonging the legal wrangling over where to draw district boundaries isn’t in the best interests of Ohio voters. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Ohio and others, told the Ohio …

Voting rights groups ask to dismiss lawsuit challenging gerrymandered Ohio congressional map
1 year, 3 months ago

Voting rights groups ask to dismiss lawsuit challenging gerrymandered Ohio congressional map

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ohio voting-rights groups moved to dismiss their lawsuit against Ohio's …

DeSantis’ redistricting map in Florida is unconstitutional and must be redrawn, judge says
1 year, 3 months ago

DeSantis’ redistricting map in Florida is unconstitutional and must be redrawn, judge says

Associated Press  

A Florida redistricting plan pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis violates the state constitution and is prohibited from being used for any future U.S. congressional elections since it diminishes the ability of Black voters in north Florida to pick a representative of their choice, a state judge ruled Saturday. Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh sent the plan back to the …

Ohio attorney general rejects language for amendment aimed at reforming troubled political mapmaking
1 year, 4 months ago

Ohio attorney general rejects language for amendment aimed at reforming troubled political mapmaking

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office rejected petition language Wednesday for a constitutional amendment aimed at remaking the state’s troubled system for drawing political maps, determining that it failed to present a fair and truthful summary of what is proposed. In announcing the determination, Republican Dave Yost’s office said, “The decision underscores the importance of precise, comprehensive and …

Deal over Florida’s redistricting plan could lead to restoration of Black-dominant district
1 year, 4 months ago

Deal over Florida’s redistricting plan could lead to restoration of Black-dominant district

Associated Press  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Voting rights groups that sued state officials over a Florida redistricting plan championed by Gov. The agreement reached late last week opens the possibility that the seat will be restored to a district dominated by Black voters, depending on how a state judge rules and whether the judge’s decision survives rounds of appeals all the way to …

Lawsuit says Tennessee’s US House and state Senate maps discriminate against communities of color
1 year, 4 months ago

Lawsuit says Tennessee’s US House and state Senate maps discriminate against communities of color

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is facing its first court challenge over a congressional redistricting map that carved up Democratic-leaning Nashville to help Republicans flip a seat in last year’s elections, a move that the plaintiffs say has unconstitutionally diluted the power of Black voters and other communities of color. By splintering Nashville into three Republican-majority districts that stretch into rural …

Wisconsin lawsuit asks new liberal-controlled Supreme Court to toss Republican-drawn maps
1 year, 4 months ago

Wisconsin lawsuit asks new liberal-controlled Supreme Court to toss Republican-drawn maps

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A lawsuit filed Wednesday asks Wisconsin’s newly liberal-controlled state Supreme Court to throw out Republican-drawn legislative maps as unconstitutional, the latest legal challenge of many nationwide that could upset political boundary lines before the 2024 election. Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said Democrats were “counting on judicial fiat to help them gain power.” He accused them …

Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama’s new congressional map
1 year, 4 months ago

Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama’s new congressional map

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Voting rights activists are returning to court to fight Alabama’s redrawn congressional districts, saying state Republicans failed to follow federal court orders to create a district that is fair to Black voters. A special three-judge panel in 2022 blocked use of the the state’s existing districts and said any new congressional map should include two districts where …

Utah high court scrutinizes process that sliced state’s most Democrat-heavy county into 4 districts
1 year, 5 months ago

Utah high court scrutinizes process that sliced state’s most Democrat-heavy county into 4 districts

Associated Press  

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court grilled attorneys representing the state on Tuesday over their claim that courts shouldn’t intervene in the Republican-controlled Legislature’s decision to carve up Democratic-leaning Salt Lake County into four congressional districts. In their lawsuit, they argue the Republican-drawn map “takes a slice of Salt Lake County,” which is the state’s most Democratic-leaning, “and …

Supreme Court directs Ohio’s top court to take another look at redistricting lawsuit
1 year, 5 months ago

Supreme Court directs Ohio’s top court to take another look at redistricting lawsuit

Associated Press  

The Ohio Supreme Court will take yet another look at the legality of the state’s congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday set aside a ruling striking down the districts and ordered further consideration of the case. In both Ohio and North Carolina, Republican state lawmakers contended in appeals that their state’s highest court had gone too far …

Supreme Court rejects novel legislative theory but leaves a door open for 2024 election challenges
1 year, 5 months ago

Supreme Court rejects novel legislative theory but leaves a door open for 2024 election challenges

Associated Press  

The U.S. Supreme Court shot down a controversial legal theory that could have changed the way elections are run across the country but left the door open to more limited challenges that could increase its role in deciding voting disputes during the 2024 presidential election. The court’s 6-3 ruling Tuesday drove a stake through the most extreme version of the …

Supreme Court rejects novel legislative theory, but leaves door open for 2024 election challenges
1 year, 5 months ago

Supreme Court rejects novel legislative theory, but leaves door open for 2024 election challenges

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The court found that state courts still must act within “ordinary bounds” when reviewing …

The Supreme Court just shut off Trump allies' strategy to overturn presidential elections
1 year, 5 months ago

The Supreme Court just shut off Trump allies' strategy to overturn presidential elections

Raw Story  

The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Moore v. Harper, rejecting a fringe legal theory that that could have given state legislatures a blanket right to ignore state courts on election and redistricting issues and pass unrestricted rigged legislative maps, was met with a collective sigh of relief by voting rights advocates across the country. "The Supreme Court said clearly that …

John Roberts Has Wrested Back Control of the Supreme Court
1 year, 5 months ago

John Roberts Has Wrested Back Control of the Supreme Court

Slate  

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. So it was with Moore v. Harper, Roberts’ 6–3 decision on Tuesday rejecting the “independent state legislature” theory devised to subvert voting rights. That’s unsurprising, Roberts noted, since legislatures are “mere creatures of the state constitutions, and cannot be greater than their creators.” …

Supreme Court rejects GOP in North Carolina case that could have reshaped elections beyond the state
1 year, 5 months ago

Supreme Court rejects GOP in North Carolina case that could have reshaped elections beyond the state

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state courts can curtail the actions of their legislatures when it comes to federal redistricting and elections, rejecting arguments by North Carolina Republicans that could have dramatically altered races for Congress and president in that state and beyond. The practical effect of Tuesday’s decision is minimal in North Carolina, where the state …

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