(IntegrityMag.com) – Since the highly controversial presidential election of 2020, there has been a major push from both sides of the political aisle to reform election laws in various ways. Some state governments have sought to take more control of how they administer voting. A case currently before the US Supreme Court could have huge ramifications in this regard.
On Monday, March 7, the SCOTUS issued orders regarding two redistricting cases out of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. In both matters, Republican lawmakers at the state level attempted to draw new district maps only to meet heavy opposition.
ICYMI: Supreme Court rejects GOP efforts to block new congressional maps in North Carolina, Pennsylvaniahttps://t.co/xfRwg5vh2e pic.twitter.com/YW8C4NByCC
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) March 8, 2022
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) rejected the GOP effort in his state, while voters blocked the Republicans via the state constitution in North Carolina. In both cases, state Supreme Courts drew new maps following initial rejections. The US Supreme Court had to decide whether state courts could assert redistricting authority in this fashion and concluded they could.
However, the court’s decision was not unanimous. Some of the justices appear to want to introduce a doctrine that gives state courts much less power to set electoral rules. The change would buck a decades-long trend in the Supreme Court and grant state legislatures much greater authority in this area.
Might another case see the majority on the bench swing the other way? Stay tuned.
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