The Supreme Court is about to whittle away what is left of federal voting rights protections, levinsonjessica writes.
. But the court’s preliminary decision is still hugely problematic for the next election and those to come.
In the short term, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Alabama’s map to remain in effect means these are the district lines that will almost certainly be in place during the 2022 election cycle. Justice Brett Kavanaugh voiced concern that it is simply too late in the election cycle to order Alabama to draw new district lines. The legal term for this particular concern is “hogwash.”First, when they need to, states can redraw lines quickly or even push back the dates of primary elections.
Second, this is a situation in which there is, in fact, a demonstrated need for Alabama to redraw its lines. The idea that a likely violation of federal voting rights should be allowed to stand throughout an election cycle just because it may be considered relatively late in the game grossly undervalues the importance of voting power. Imagine breaking your arm and your doctor telling you to just wait it out a few weeks because she’s really busy. Your arm is broken now.
This brings us to the long-term implications of the court’s decision. We have five members of the court who are comfortable allowing a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act to exist throughout a full election cycle. Again, two judges appointed by Trump concluded that Alabama’s congressional map likely illegally dilutes the voting power of Blacks. We have five doctors asking us to sit tight with a broken arm. These are doctors who we can suspect aren’t concerned with our long-term health.
There’s an obvious parallel here to the Supreme Court’s treatment of Texas’ restrictive abortion law.
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