Today’s Giant Supreme Court Surprise Ruling Is a Rare Win for Democracy – By Ari Berman (Mother Jones) / June 8, 2023
In Allen v. Milligan, the court upheld one of the last remaining pieces of the Voting Rights Act.
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In a major and surprising victory for voting rights, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a redistricting map passed by Alabama lawmakers diluted the power of Black voters, affirming the constitutionality of a key remaining part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Alabama has a Black population of 27 percent, but just one of the state’s seven congressional districts is likely to elect a candidate favored by Black voters. Civil rights groups sued in 2021 during the last redistricting cycle and said the failure of the state to draw a second majority-Black district violated Section 2 of the VRA. A three-judge panel that included two appointees of Donald Trump agreed, writing that “Black voters have less opportunity than other Alabamians to elect candidates of their choice to Congress.”
But last year, the Supreme Court temporarily reinstated Alabama’s original redistricting plan for the midterms. However, in a 5-4 ruling on Thursday authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court affirmed the district court’s original finding. Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred with Roberts’ decision in Allen v. Milligan. “We see no reason to disturb the District Court’s careful factual findings, which are subject to clear error review and have gone unchallenged by Alabama in any event.” Four conservative justices dissented
