The Supreme Court ruling in Allen v. Milligan means that an Alabama congressional map, with only one majority Black district, out of seven districts in a state whose population is 25% Black, will have to be redrawn in time for next year’s elections, AP reported.
The ruling was a surprise given that the Roberts court had allowed the challenged Alabama map to be used for the 2022 elections, “and in arguments last October the justices appeared willing to make it harder to challenge redistricting plans as racially discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” AP noted. Also, Roberts has been part of previous Supreme Court majorities that made it harder for racial minorities to use the Voting Rights Act.
C&L’s Karoli Kuns made the logical point that Black Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is now on the court and could have made a big difference in the outcome.
Clarence Thomas, on the other hand, will probably get another lavish gift from his Nazi-loving, GOP benefactor, Harlan Crow. The New York Times described the dissent of the court’s other Black justice as “slashing” and written in a “bitter tone” that “suggested deep disappointment with Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh and profound regret over a missed opportunity.”
One person not surprised by Thursday’s ruling is election lawyer Marc Elias:
More importantly, the Allen ruling will have a positive impact on cases across 10 states, Elias’ Democracy Docket calculated. The ruling has already impacted a Georgia case.
And you know it’s a BFD because the Alabama GOP is having a MAGA meltdown:
President Joe Biden issued a statement from a broader perspective: our American democracy:
Today the Court ruled that Alabama likely violated the Voting Rights Act by drawing a map that diluted Black votes in the state. The right to vote and have that vote counted is sacred and fundamental — it is the right from which all of our other rights spring. Key to that right is ensuring that voters pick their elected officials — not the other way around. Today’s decision confirms the basic principle that voting practices should not discriminate on account of race, but our work is not done. Vice President Harris and I will continue to fight to pass both the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, and the Freedom to Vote Act to ensure fair Congressional maps and that all Americans have their voices heard.
