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☆ How a Conservative Supreme Court Boosted Democrats’ Hopes of House Gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Aaron Zitner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Supreme Court’s Redistricting Rulings Boost Democrats’ House Hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Aaron Zitner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

The North Carolina controversy arose after the state Supreme Court struck down the state’s 2022 congressional map as an illegal partisan gerrymander, replacing it with court drawn maps that favored Democrats. Reggie Weaver, at podium, speaks outside the Legislative Building in Raleigh, North Carolina, Feb. 15, 2022, about a partisan gerrymandering ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court. Gary D. Robertson/APAfter the state high court ruled, North Carolina Republican lawmakers appealed the decision to the US Supreme Court, arguing that the state Supreme Court had exceeded its authority. After the last election, the North Carolina Supreme Court flipped its majority to Republican. With the US Supreme Court rejecting the lawmakers’ theory that state courts could not police federal election rules, lawyers for the legislature’s opponents celebrated Tuesday’s ruling.

Persons: Donald Trump, John Roberts, ” Roberts, Roberts, ”, “, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Barack Obama, ” Obama, Reggie Weaver, Gary D, Robertson, Tuesday’s, Neal Katyal, Today’s, court’s, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, ” Thomas, Gorsuch, Thomas, –, Jessica Ring Amunson, Sam Hirsch, Jenner, Hilary Harris Klein – Organizations: CNN, North Carolina, Independent, Chief, Federal, North Carolina Supreme, AP, North, North Carolina Republican, Supreme, North Carolina Supreme Court, Republican, US, Block, Southern Coalition for Social Justice Locations: North Carolina, Federal, Raleigh , North Carolina, “

☆ District Attorneys in Queens and the Bronx Prevail in Democratic Primary
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Several Democratic incumbents in New York saw unusual challenges from more conservative candidates in Tuesday’s primary, with the opponents hoping to benefit from a demographic change, as an influx of immigrants is shifting some districts to the right. Incumbents easily held off primary challenges in Democratic primaries for district attorney in Queens and the Bronx; further north, a Council race in Buffalo was won by a woman whose son was shot in the Tops supermarket racist massacre. In New York City, just over 149,000 people had cast their ballots as of 6 p.m., according to the City Board of Elections. That includes 44,611 votes that were cast during the nine-day early voting period that began June 17 and ended on Sunday — less than a quarter of the early-voting turnout two years ago, when candidates for mayor were competing in the primary. There were contested primaries in New York City Council contests across the boroughs, with the races for a two-year term instead of the usual four years because of redistricting.

Organizations: Democratic, Buffalo, City Board, City Council Locations: New York, Queens, Bronx, New York City

☆ The Supreme Court Rejects a Once-Fringe Elections Theory
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Justices on the country’s highest court rejected a legal theory that would have radically reshaped how elections are conducted by giving state legislatures largely unchecked power to set rules for federal elections and to draw congressional maps warped by partisan gerrymandering. The 6-to-3 decision was cheered by voting rights advocates who feared an undemocratic fallout if the Supreme Court had ruled the other way. “If the theory had been upheld, it would have been chaotic,” my colleague Michael Wines said. “In states like Wisconsin and Ohio, it basically would have allowed legislators to enshrine themselves in power all but permanently. A recent ruling by that state’s Supreme Court authorized the legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, to draw maps as it sees fit, ensuring that the resulting districts will be warped by politics.

Persons: Michael Wines, “, John Roberts Organizations: North, Republicans Locations: Wisconsin, Ohio

☆ Supreme Court rules against Republicans in North Carolina elections dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The justices ruled on a 6-3 vote that the North Carolina Supreme Court was acting within its authority in concluding that the map constituted a partisan gerrymander under the state constitution. As a result of the North Carolina Supreme Court's ruling, that map is likely to tilt heavily toward Republicans. The North Carolina case was being closely watched for its potential impact on the 2024 presidential election. Republicans led by Tim Moore, the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, invoked the theory after the state Supreme Court struck down the congressional district map in February of last year. Moore and other Republicans immediately asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the maps, saying the state court had overstepped its authority.

Persons: William Rehnquist, Gore, Republican George W, Bush's, Donald Trump, Tim Moore, Moore, John Eastman, Mike Pence, Joe Biden's, Biden's Organizations: Republicans, North Carolina, Democratic, Supreme, Republican, North Carolina House of, U.S, Democrats Locations: North Carolina, Bush, Carolina, —

Circuit Court of Appeals "for review in the ordinary course and in advance of the 2024 congressional elections in Louisiana." Democrats have accused Republicans of exploiting state legislature majorities to draw electoral maps that dilute the clout of Black and other minority voters. The map was challenged by Black voters and civil rights groups in two lawsuits. The plaintiffs in court papers said that "stark racially polarized voting almost universally leads to the electoral defeat of Black-preferred candidates" in Louisiana. The Supreme Court in that ruling elected not to further roll back protections contained in the Voting Rights Act as it had done in two major decisions in the past decade.

Persons: Kyle Ardoin, Shelly Dick, Jon Bel Edwards, Black, Dick, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S . House, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Black, . House, Circuit, Republicans, Democratic, disenfranchising, The U.S, Thomson Locations: Louisiana, Alabama, Orleans, United States, Louisiana's, The, New York

☆ Supreme Court allows for Louisiana congressional map to be redrawn to add another majority-Black district
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Louisiana congressional map to be redrawn to add another majority-Black district. The appeals court expedited a fuller review of the case, but those proceedings were frozen last summer once the Louisiana officials successfully sought intervention from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in late June of last year, took up the case but put it on pause while it decided the challenge to the Alabama map. The state’s opponents countered that the district court in the Louisiana case had decided that the 5-1 map likely violated the Voting Rights Act under the same exact legal test the Supreme Court sanctioned in its Alabama ruling. “Black voters in Louisiana have suffered one election under a congressional map that unlawfully dilutes their political influence.

Persons: “, ”, Steve Vladeck, Vladeck, Shelly Dick, John Bel Edwards, Dick, Robinson, –, Milligan, Abha Khanna, ” Khanna, ” Angelique Freel Organizations: CNN, Alabama, CNN Supreme, University of Texas School of Law, Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Republican, Democratic Gov, Louisiana State, NAACP, Louisiana Republican, Elias Group Locations: Louisiana, Black, Alabama, ” Louisiana

☆ Opinion | The Supreme Court Finally Strikes the Right Balance on Voting Rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the most important realities of American life is this: No nation can fully undo the effects of 345 years of state-sanctioned bigotry — from slavery to Jim Crow — in 59 years. The time period between the arrival of the first slaves on colonial shores in 1619 and the abolition of legalized discrimination with the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 is simply too long, the discrimination too ingrained and the distortion of society too great to wave the wand of legal and cultural reform and quickly realize the dream of American equality. At the same time, there’s another vital American reality: Through grit, determination and immense courage, Black Americans and other marginalized communities have made immense gains, the hearts of countless white Americans have indeed changed and America is a far better and fairer place than it was in even the recent past. And now, at last, in the vital area of voting rights, Supreme Court authority reflects both these truths. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in a case called Allen v. Milligan that surprised many legal observers by striking down an Alabama redistricting map that would have preserved the state’s recent tradition of maintaining only one majority Black district out of seven in a state with a 27 percent Black population.

Persons: Jim Crow —, Allen, Milligan Organizations: Civil Locations: America, Alabama, Black

☆ Opinion | If Democrats Win Back the House, They Will Have John Roberts to Thank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Thomas B. Edsall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

And Milligan weakens Florida’s defense for eliminating a Black opportunity district around Jacksonville, which hinges on race-conscious districting being unconstitutional. Put it all together and at least 2-3, and quite possibly more, congressional districts are likely to change hands because of Milligan. Lower courts have found already that the current maps in those states likely, or do, violate Sec. In Texas, it’s possible one or more new Hispanic VRA districts will have to be created. In that context, Roberts continued, “we are not persuaded by Alabama’s arguments that section 2 as interpreted in Gingles exceeds the remedial authority of Congress.”

Persons: Milligan, Wasserman, Cook, ”, “ Lean, Nicholas Stephanopoulos, Stephanopoulos, Richard Pildes, Pildes, John Roberts’s, Roberts Organizations: Democratic, Harvard, Republican Locations: Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Washington, It’s, Georgia, Texas, Jacksonville, N.Y.U, Alabama , Louisiana, Gingles

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - A surprise Supreme Court ruling on Thursday has handed Democrats a potential boost in the 2024 congressional race by calling into question the constitutionality of Republican-drawn electoral districts throughout the U.S. South. That could force Alabama to redraw its seven House districts so that two would contain Black majorities or near-majorities, up from one now. Analysts said that would give Democrats a greater chance of winning seats across the South, where voting often breaks down along racial lines. Democrats said the ruling would give them a greater chance at winning back the chamber in the November 2024 election. "This decision will affect redistricting cases across the country and help deliver a House of Representatives that better reflects the diversity of our nation," said Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democrats' House campaign arm.

Persons: Suzan DelBene, Jack Pandol, Terri Sewell, Gram Slattery, Moira Warburton, Andy Sullivan, Stephen Coates Organizations: Republican, Analysts, Republicans, Representatives, Democrats, House, Democratic, Thomson Locations: U.S, Alabama, Washington, Louisiana, North Carolina, Alabama's

☆ Voting Rights Act survives at US Supreme Court but more challenges loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Election law expert Ned Foley of Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law called the ruling "a hugely important development for both the Voting Rights Act and the Supreme Court more broadly." The decision requires Alabama to draw a second U.S. House of Representatives district where Black voters comprise a majority or close to it. The Voting Rights Act was passed at a time when Southern states including Alabama enforced policies blocking Black people from casting ballots. Nearly six decades later, the Supreme Court continues to hear cases involving Black voters suing over electoral maps they argue diminish their influence. Thursday's ruling centered upon Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a provision aimed at countering measures that result in racial bias in voting even absent racist intent.

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Ned Foley, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Foley, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Terri Sewell, Marc Elias, Elias, Brennan, Alabama, Deuel Ross, Ross, Gotell Faulks, Faulks, John Kruzel, Moira Warburton, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Conservative, Republican, Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, Alabama, U.S . House, Representatives, Black House Democrat, Democratic, Black voters, Black, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, American Civil Liberties, Thomson Locations: Alabama, U.S, Black, Louisiana, Constitution's, Montgomery, Jackson, Baton Rouge

☆ Supreme Court orders voting maps redrawn in Alabama to accommodate Black voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Alabama officials to redraw the state’s congressional map to allow an additional Black majority district to account for the fact that the state is 27% Black. The federal court ordered the creation of another majority Black district to be drawn. He said it would be impossible to draw a second majority Black district in the state without taking race into consideration. Instead, she wrote, the state plan “divides the Black voters within this well-established community of interest across several districts, and as a result, Black Alabamians have no chance to elect their preferred candidates outside of” the one Black majority district. “Black voters are significantly numerous and compact to form a majority in a reasonably configured district, as the district court specifically found,” she said.

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, ” Roberts, Roberts, ”, Terri Sewell, “, ” Sewell, General Merrick Garland, –, Democrats –, Steve Vladeck, ” Vladeck, Sen, John Thune, ” Thune, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Gorsuch, ” Thomas, Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, ” Thomas ’, Edmund LaCour Jr, Alabama’s, LaCour, NAACP –, Abha Khanna, Khanna, ” Khanna, Alabamians, Biden, dilutions, Elizabeth Prelogar Organizations: CNN, Alabama, Republicans, Democratic, “, Central, Supreme, Trump, Democrats, University of Texas School of Law, Representatives, Republican, Judiciary, Black, ”, NAACP Locations: Alabama, United States, Black, Louisiana, Mobile , Montgomery, ”

☆ Could Democrats Get Another Shot at Redistricting in New York?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Whatever happens, New York promises to be perhaps the most contested state in the nation for House races next year. Republicans outperformed expectations in New York during the 2022 midterm elections, leaving their candidates positioned to defend six districts President Biden won in 2020, two by double digits. “We think our chances are good, but it’s not something we are relying on,” said Jay Jacobs, the Democrats’ state party chairman. The court case was proceeding this week as Democrats in Albany used the final days of this year’s legislative session to try to shore up their electoral prospects in other ways. Democratic supermajorities in both legislative chambers appeared poised to adopt changes weakening New York’s new publicly financed donor-matching program in ways that would benefit incumbents.

Persons: Biden, ”, Jay Jacobs, Wasserman Organizations: House, Republicans, Democratic supermajorities Locations: New York, Albany

☆ A Surprise Supreme Court Ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama had diluted the power of Black voters by drawing a congressional voting map with a single district in which they made up a majority. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, both members of the court’s conservative wing, joined its three liberal members in the 5-to-4 ruling, which requires the state to draw a second district in which Black voters have the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. Advocates had feared the case would undermine the Voting Rights Act, a landmark legislative achievement of the civil rights movement. “The court in recent years has been systematically cutting back on the voting rights act, and there was every reason to think that they would continue to do so in the context of redistricting,” our colleague Adam Liptak said. “To have a 5-4 majority going in a different direction, if only to uphold the status quo, was a big surprise.”

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Adam Liptak, “, ” Locations: Alabama

The lower court ordered Alabama to configure a second House district where Black voters could hold a majority or close to it. Conservative states and groups had previously succeeded in prodding the Supreme Court to limit the Voting Rights Act's scope. In the ruling on Thursday, two consolidated cases before the Supreme Court involved challenges brought by Black voters and advocacy groups accusing the state of violating Section 2. Alabama then appealed to the Supreme Court. In a major 2019 ruling, the Supreme Court barred federal judges from curbing the practice, known as partisan gerrymandering.

Persons: Michael A, McCoy, John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Roberts, Abha Khanna, Khanna, Joe Biden's, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: Selma Fire, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Black, Republican, Supreme Court, . House, Conservative, Republicans, U.S . House, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Selma, Selma , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, Black, Arizona, Constitution's, Washington

☆ The District Gained Republicans. Could a Liberal Democrat Take It Back?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Tracey Tully | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last year, redistricting shored up the odds of victory for the incumbent party in 11 of New Jersey’s 12 congressional districts. With a year and a half before the election, it is likely that additional Democratic challengers to Mr. Kean will emerge. But Ms. Altman’s early entry and name recognition gives her a clear edge in a race that even the state’s Democratic Party chairman, LeRoy J. Jones Jr., acknowledges will be an uphill fight. “Sue Altman is a formidable candidate — and so far the only candidate,” Mr. Jones said. “Without hearing from anyone else, Sue is in a position to make her case to ultimately be the Democratic nominee.”

Persons: Tom Malinowski, Tom Kean Jr, Malinowski, Kevin McCarthy’s, Mr, Kean, Donald J, Altman’s, LeRoy J, Jones, “ Sue Altman, ” Mr, Sue, ” Organizations: New, Seventh Congressional District, Republican, Democratic Congressional, Trump, Democratic, state’s Democratic Party Locations: New Jersey, Washington

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a bid by South Carolina officials to revive a Republican-crafted voting map that a lower court said had unconstitutionally "exiled" 30,000 Black voters from a closely contested congressional district. In this case, the Republican legislators were accused of racial gerrymandering to reduce the influence of black voters. South Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature adopted a new voting map last year following the 2020 U.S. census. The Republican map resulted in a 1st congressional district with a larger percentage of white, Republican-leaning voters. The judges – all three appointed by Democratic presidents – ruled that no elections can take place in the 1st district until it has been redrawn, prompting the South Carolina Republican officials to appeal to the Supreme Court.

☆ In win for Republicans, North Carolina court allows partisan gerrymandering
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Voters line up a few minutes before the polls close during the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Durham, North Carolina, U.S., November 8, 2022. In the same election, Republicans flipped two Democratic seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court, securing a 5-2 conservative majority. "I think it's the worst decision the North Carolina Supreme Court perhaps has ever made," Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, told reporters. When the North Carolina court agreed to rehear the case, however, the U.S. Supreme Court asked for additional briefing from the parties about whether it still had legal jurisdiction over the matter. Now that the North Carolina court has vacated the decision that formed the basis for the U.S. Supreme Court's review, the U.S. Supreme Court may conclude it no longer has a role to play in resolving the matter.

☆ In win for Republicans, North Carolina court says gerrymandering is legal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Voters line up a few minutes before the polls close during the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Durham, North Carolina, U.S., November 8, 2022. The decision threw out the court's previous decision, issued barely more than a year ago when liberal judges controlled the court, that had found partisan gerrymandering violated the state constitution. In the same election, Republicans flipped two Democratic seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court, securing a 5-2 conservative majority. In a 146-page opinion, Chief Justice Paul Newby noted that the U.S. Supreme Court had similarly found that federal courts have no jurisdiction to address partisan gerrymandering. "Today, the Court shows that its own will is more powerful than the voices of North Carolina's voters," she wrote.

☆ North Carolina Court, With New Partisan Mix, Reverses Itself on a Key Voting Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Barely a year after Democratic justices on the North Carolina Supreme Court said new maps of the state’s legislative and congressional districts were partisan gerrymanders that violated the State Constitution, a newly elected Republican majority on the court reversed course on Friday and said the court had no authority to overturn those maps. The practical effect is to enable the Republican-controlled State Legislature to scrap the court-ordered State Senate and congressional district. boundaries that were used in elections last November, and draw new maps skewed in their favor for elections in 2024. In an opinion divided 5 to 2 along party lines, the new Republican majority of justices said the court had no authority to strike down partisan maps that the state General Assembly had drawn. “Were this Court to create such a limitation, there is no judicially discoverable or manageable standard for adjudicating such claims.”

☆ A North Carolina Democrat's shocking party switch may hand complete power over to the state's Republicans, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A North Carolina lawmaker is expected to switch parties in what would be a stunning turn of events. It would give the GOP a supermajority, meaning they could override the Dem governor's vetoes. As of March 2023, Cooper had issued 75 vetoes — more than all previous North Carolina governors combined — since taking office six years ago, according to The Assembly NC. From 2005 to 2009, Jerry Meek, whom Cotham married in late 2008, was the chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. According to the North Carolina political blog Watauga Watch, Cotham and Meek are no longer married.

☆ Why Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other major Dems are going all out for a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Stakes are high in an April Supreme Court election in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Normally, you wouldn't see high-profile figures like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighing in on an upcoming state Supreme Court election. That's nearly double that of the previous record for a state Supreme Court seat. Wikler said the results could affect control of the US Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House in 2024. The state Democratic Party is helping fund Protasiewicz's campaign while other Democratic power players are working to drive interest in the race.

The hearing in Raleigh took place after the state Supreme Court's conservative justices agreed to reconsider a 2022 ruling that found partisan redistricting, or gerrymandering, was unlawful under the state constitution. In the same elections, Republicans flipped two Democratic seats on the court, installing a 5-2 conservative majority that weeks later made the extremely unusual decision to rehear the redistricting case. Several conservative justices appeared sympathetic to the Republicans' arguments, while the court's two Democrats expressed skepticism. The Supreme Court's conservative justices appeared to agree during oral arguments in December. But after the North Carolina court's decision to rehear the case, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the various parties in the case to weigh in on whether the court still has jurisdiction over the matter.

The new court agreed along party lines to rehear the redistricting case, as well as a case in which the previous Democratic majority struck down a Republican-backed voter identification law. In court filings, Republican lawmakers argue that redistricting is inherently political and should be left to legislators, rather than judges. Last year's redistricting decision also prompted North Carolina Republicans to turn to the U.S. Supreme Court in what has become a high-profile case. The Supreme Court's conservative justices appeared sympathetic to the Republicans' argument during oral arguments in December. But after the North Carolina Supreme Court's decision to rehear the case, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the various parties in the case to weigh in on whether the court still has jurisdiction over the matter.

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