The Supreme Court’s six-to-three Republican-appointed majority issued a staggering ruling on Wednesday essentially killing the remaining protections of the Voting Rights Act, dealing a death blow to the country’s most important civil rights law. The majority opinion by Justice Samuel Alito in Louisiana v. Callais strikes down the creation of a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana and in so doing narrows Section 2 of the VRA to the point of irrelevance, making it nearly impossible to prove that a gerrymandered map violates the right of voters of color.
“Because the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, no compelling interest justified the State’s use of race in creating SB8, and that map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander,” Alito wrote. “The Constitution almost never permits a State to discriminate on the basis of race, and such discrimination triggers strict scrutiny.”
What we need is end the single member only district system, un-cap the house, and where district boundries are used require that they mathematically the fewest counties and municipality as possible.
I would also argue independent commissions of technical experts who only use data saying how many people are in a given area and nothing else.
The Conservatives want to interpret the protected class policy as “we the government must be demographic blind.” Alright here is a way to get fully blind. Don’t come crying if the result is multi member districts that have representives proportional to the population
We’ve had impartial computerized methods of creating fair districts for decades. It doesn’t benefit those in power, who are the ones who would have to approve it.
A group should be formed, independent of state or federal, to form districts every few years based on population movement. If a party is disadvantaged by the makeup within that district, then they’ll just have to work harder to try and sell themselves as a better choice. The role of a representative is a representation of that area, and should reflect their needs. Not some bigger party goal that needs the numbers.
Personally I more think we need to dismantle the party system we have. Political Parties should form and dissolve fluidly and be more akin to social clubs not actual bodies to dictate policy
Removed by mod
It would have to be packing. If subtracted it doesn’t mean justices step down to meet the smaller number, it just means when the justice dies or retires they don’t get a replacement.
Packing the court would still have to be a post Trump thing (after all increase it while in office means more Trump judges).
But time is also on our side as Thomas, Roberts, Alito are oldest on the bench.
Meaning should these three pass or retire post Trump and more liberal minded judges are tapped than it becomes 6-3 Liberal. This could be further solidified as Sotomayor and Kagan are next in age.