States Rush to Change District Maps After SCOTUS Ruling

By
Richard C. Young
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By W. Scott McGill @ Shutterstock.com

The Supreme Court has ruled that racial bias in drawing district maps for political offices is unconstitutional. A provision in the Voting Rights Act has restricted how certain states could draw their districts affecting minority voters. In a case involving Louisiana, the Justices ruled 6-3 against racial gerrymandering.

Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the decision of the majority, explained, “Correctly understood, Section 2 [of the Voting Rights Act] does not impose liability at odds with the Constitution, and it should not have imposed liability on Louisiana for its 2022 map. Compliance with Section 2 thus could not justify the State’s use of race-based redistricting here.”

With the restrictions that have bound them cast off, states that had been subject to the racially biased rules are now racing to redraw their districts. President Trump noted conversations with governors who are working to fix their own states’ districts. He posted on Truth Social:

On a conversation with Jeff Landry, governor of Louisiana:

Thank you to the Great Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, for his leadership on the very important Callais case, and for moving so quickly to fix the Unconstitutionality of Louisiana’s Congressional Maps. He has shown tremendous Vision, Strength, and Leadership. Thank you Jeff, keep up the GREAT work! President DONALD J. TRUMP

On a conversation with Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee:

I had a very good conversation with Governor Bill Lee, of Tennessee, this morning, wherein he stated that he would work hard to correct the unconstitutional flaw in the Congressional Maps of the Great State of Tennessee. Likewise, all of the other Political Representatives of Tennessee have promised to do so. This should give us one extra seat, and help Save our Country from the Radical Left Democrats, and their Country destroying Policies of High Tax, Open Borders, Transgender Mutilization, Defunding the Police, ICE, and Border Patrol, No Voter ID, Soft on Crime, and so much more. Thank you Governor Lee — PUSH HARD! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Alabama has a very similar case in front of the Supreme Court today, challenging a court-drawn congressional district in the state in order to create a second majority-black district there. It has been reported that Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey will decline to call a special session to redraw that state’s map because of that pending litigation.

In Georgia, state Senator Greg Dolezal is pushing Governor Brian Kemp to call a special session of the Georgia legislature in order to redraw that state’s map.

Estimates suggest that Republicans could redraw 19 seats to their advantage in the wake of the ruling.