The Supreme Court Just Made Its Awful Voting Rights Decision So Much Worse
Slate • • nation
Key Points:
- The Supreme Court, in a 6–3 decision, overturned a 2023 ruling that blocked Alabama's racially discriminatory congressional map, allowing the state legislature to dilute Black voting power by splitting Black communities.
- This decision contradicts the Court's recent assurances in Louisiana v. Callais that it would uphold protections against racist redistricting, signaling a rollback of safeguards established in Allen v. Milligan.
- The Alabama Legislature was found to have intentionally discriminated against Black voters, violating both the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment, but the Supreme Court ignored this evidence and permitted the new gerrymander.
- The Court's expedited ruling disrupts ongoing elections, contradicting the Purcell principle that discourages last-minute changes to voting laws, and is seen as a partisan move favoring Republican interests.
- Justice Sotomayor and other dissenters criticized the majority for enabling voter suppression under the guise of protecting against racial discrimination, highlighting the decision's revival of Jim Crow–style disenfranchisement.