I have written this piece for The Atlantic on today’s decision to hear the Wisconsin partisan gerrymandering claim. It begins: The partisan gerrymandering beauty pageant is returning to the Supreme Court next fall for a limited engagement for an audience… Continue reading

[UPDATE: About an hour after the Court issued its order agreeing to hear this case, it issued a second order, on a 5-4 vote, granting a stay of the lower court order in this case. The four liberal Justices dissented.… Continue reading

As early as Monday morning, the Court may announce whether it will hear the appeal in Gill v. Whitford, concerning the constitutional challenge to Wisconsin legislative districting as a partisan gerrymander. I’ll be writing more if/when the Court grants a… Continue reading

This afternoon without comment the Supreme Court denied a motion to have the mandate of the Covington case issued immediately. What this means in non-technical terms is that the challengers wanted the case immediately returned to the three-judge court to… Continue reading

WFAE: Cooper: It’s pretty rare when the United States Supreme Court issues a 9-0 decision on such a controversial issue as redistricting. But it’s clear that these racially gerrymandered districts are unconstitutional. I don’t think we should have another budget… Continue reading

I have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, ACS Supreme Court Review).  Here is the abstract: The United States Supreme Court, like the Lord, sometimes works in mysterious ways. Back in the 1990s, a group of conservative activists convinced a… Continue reading

Orders list. Tune in next week to see if the Court grants a hearing in the case for next term (as I’m expecting).

Bob Barnes for WaPo: The Supreme Court could announce as soon as Monday that it is either affirming or reversing the lower court’s decision, or, more likely, accepting the case for full briefing and arguments in the term that begins… Continue reading

The three judge court is acting even before the official mandate from the Supreme Court.  Among other things, the court wants to know who speaks for North Carolina.  A very good question.

The News & Observer reports.

Fascinating Lyle Denniston post: Both sides in a new Supreme Court test case on partisan gerrymandering – drawing new election districts to favor one party – on Tuesday answered the Justices’ questions about whether the case should stay alive,… Continue reading