Anzila Wong
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
That map includes two districts where Black voters in Alabama have a realistic opportunity to elect their preferred candidate.
But after the Supreme Court recently weakened the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination and redistricting, Alabama Republicans asked the justices to speed up their consideration of whether to review their state's congressional map again.
The high court agreed and has thrown out the lower court ruling that required Alabama to use its current map for this year's midterms.
For decades, legal protections for racial minority voters under what's known as Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act have been mainly enforced through lawsuits by voters and advocacy groups.
But Republican officials in North Dakota, Mississippi and Alabama have made a novel argument that only the Justice Department can sue.
The Supreme Court is set to discuss this Thursday how it will handle three redistricting cases that question whether private individuals and groups can keep suing under Section 2.
Last month, the court made it harder to use that part of the Voting Rights Act to claim that maps of certain voting districts discriminate against minority voters of color.
The three redistricting cases now on the court's conference schedule could end up further weakening the landmark law from the civil rights movement.
Republican state officials in Alabama had lost a legal fight last year over the state's congressional map.
After finding that a proposed map by state lawmakers intentionally discriminated against black voters, a lower federal court ruled Alabama should keep using a court-drawn map to get in line with the Voting Rights Act.
That map includes two districts where Black voters in Alabama have a realistic opportunity to elect their preferred candidate.
But after the Supreme Court recently weakened the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination and redistricting, Alabama Republicans asked the justices to speed up their consideration of whether to review their state's congressional map again.
The high court agreed and has thrown out the lower court ruling that required Alabama to use its current map for this year's midterms.
Eligible voters in South Carolina who want to cast ballots in the state's June 9th primary have until Sunday to register online and Monday to get mail-in applications postmarked.
New Jersey's voter registration deadline is Tuesday.
And in Nevada, eligible voters have until Tuesday to register by mail.
Online and in-person registration in Nevada continues through June 9th, which is also the day of that state's primary.