us supreme court
November 18, 2022 -
The Republican wave that many pundits predicted this year didn't happen, but the party captured control of the U.S. House of Representatives thanks to federal and state courts allowing extreme manipulation of voting maps.
August 24, 2022 -
The state's Democratic-controlled high court ruled that a legislature found to discriminate against Black voters doesn't have unlimited authority to propose constitutional amendments. The decision caps off a four-year legal battle over amendments approved by voters that mandate voter ID and lower the state's income tax cap.
July 7, 2022 -
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a fringe legal theory that would give state lawmakers even more leeway to gerrymander, suppress voters, and possibly overturn presidential election results. Four conservative justices agree with the theory, and the appeal out of North Carolina will reveal if the court's majority does. A proposed constitutional amendment could provide a fix.
June 8, 2022 -
Texas is heading to court to defend new election districts that divide and disempower Black and Latino communities while benefiting the GOP. The districts remain in play for this year's elections, but judges could order new ones before 2024.
April 21, 2022 -
Over protests by the state's Black lawmakers, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed his fellow Republicans to adopt a congressional district map that is expected to slash the number of Black representatives for the state. The new map could be challenged in court, but appellate courts have recently sided with the GOP in voting rights cases.
February 9, 2022 -
The president has pledged to nominate the first Black woman to the highest court in the land to replace retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer. A few of the potential justices are judges or judicial nominees from Southern states, including two with extensive experience as voting rights lawyers.
January 19, 2022 -
Since a strict anti-abortion law went into effect in Texas in September, many Texans seeking abortion care have gone to Louisiana, even though that state also has severe abortion restrictions and only three clinics offering abortion services. State Reps. Mary González of Texas and Mandie Landry of Louisiana write about the ongoing fight to defend bodily autonomy in states that are especially hostile to women.
