Self-Districting Solves Both Problems

August 8, 2025, 4:12 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

Rick H. has recently lamented that more media attention is being paid to the current fight over mid-decade redistricting than over the Supreme Court’s potential ruling in the Louisiana Voting Rights Act case. Both are huge developments in the field… Continue reading

SCOTUSblog column on “Justice, Democracy, and Law”

August 8, 2025, 1:57 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

Here’s the first of a periodic column I will be doing for SCOTUSblog. It comes with this introductory description: The biggest questions in constitutional law concern the power of the Supreme Court to decide questions differently from what elected officials… Continue reading

I Spoke with Jen Rubin of “The Contrarian” on Courts Chipping Away at the Voting Rights Act, and the Supreme Court Perhaps Killing Off Section 2

August 8, 2025, 12:54 pmSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can watch here.

Alabama Dodges Bail-in

August 8, 2025, 9:28 amcourt decisions, redistricting, Voting Rights ActTravis Crum

Yesterday, the three-judge district court in the Alabama congressional redistricting litigation declined to bail-in the State to the VRA’s preclearance regime. You can find the district court’s decision here. Recall that the district court had previously found that Alabama’s… Continue reading

I Was on the Bloomberg Law Podcast with June Grasso: “The Voting Rights Act Is in Jeopardy”

August 8, 2025, 9:04 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Listen here.

“Is more partisan redistricting coming to a state near you?”

August 8, 2025, 7:21 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

I did this Q&A with Harvard Law Today about mid-decade re-redistricting, the reargument in Callais, and other redistricting issues. Here are some excerpts: Redrawing districts for partisan purposes at the beginning of a decade is, unfortunately, absolutely common. What has… Continue reading

“Michigan Court of Appeals tosses GOP election lawsuit for filing too late”

August 8, 2025, 7:11 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Michigan Public Radio: The Michigan Court of Appeals has tossed out a Republican lawsuit challenging Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s official guidance for many overseas voters. The lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee, the Michigan Republican Party… Continue reading

“NYC campaign finance board denies Mayor Eric Adams millions in matching funds”

August 8, 2025, 7:10 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Politico: The New York City Campaign Finance Board denied Mayor Eric Adams millions of dollars in matching funds for the tenth time Wednesday — and suggested in a strongly worded statement that Adams will not be getting a penny… Continue reading

“Texas Democrats approach deadline to return or face GOP expulsion lawsuit”

August 8, 2025, 7:10 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Washington Post: Texas Republicans plan to ramp up the pressure Friday on Democratic state lawmakers who fled to suburban Chicago and other Democratic areas this week to prevent the GOP from giving themselves five more safe congressional districts. Republican… Continue reading

“Federal court says Alabama must use map that creates 2nd Black majority district”

August 8, 2025, 7:09 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Politico: Alabama must use independently drawn congressional maps that created a second Black-majority district more favorable to Democrats in the state for the rest of the decade, a federal court said Thursday.A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court… Continue reading

“Democrats make a Trump-inspired U-turn on redistricting”

August 8, 2025, 7:09 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

From Politico: The last time House Democrats held the majority, they made a sweeping package of good-government reforms — including an attempt to end partisan gerrymandering — a centerpiece of their legislative agenda. “The people should choose their politicians,”… Continue reading

“Trump wants a new U.S. census to exclude people here illegally. It’d be unprecedented”

August 8, 2025, 7:08 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

NPR: With preparations for the 2030 census already underway, President Trump said Thursday he has instructed his administration to start work on a “new” census. According to a social media post by Trump, that census would exclude millions of… Continue reading

The Alternative Paths to Redistricting Reform the Court Pointed to in Common Cause v. Rucho are Unraveling

August 7, 2025, 8:03 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

In Common Cause v. Rucho, Chief Justice Roberts pointed to the significant reforms to redistricting that had been taking place in the states, as a way of asserting that the federal courts and constitutional doctrine were not the only avenues… Continue reading

The Media’s Unfortunate Greater Interest in the Texas Redistricting Car Wreck than the Supreme Court’s Slow Poisoning of the Voting Rights Act

August 7, 2025, 7:44 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I’ve written about two big election stories this week, the newly ignited redistricting wars starting in Texas and the Supreme Court’s strong signal that it could kill off the Voting Rights Act Section 2 by next June. Judged by… Continue reading