The #SupremeCourt on Thurs allowed the use of a #SC congressional map that a lower court said “exiled” thousands of #BlackVoters to carve out a district safer for a #WhiteRepublican incumbent.
The decision was a victory for #Republicans not only because it clears the way for a map that is favorable to the #GOP. It also sets a high bar for determining when a map can be considered a #RacialGerrymander, rather than a #partisan one. #SCOTUS has previously found the #Constitution bars racial #gerrymandering but that federal courts cannot police partisan gerrymandering.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel #Alito noted many predominantly #Black precincts in #Charleston were moved out of one district & into another. But “because of the tight correlation between race & partisan preferences, this fact does little to show that #race, not #politics drove the legislature’s choice,” he wrote.
…The bill in CT, pending before an #education cmte, is 1 of a raft of measures advancing nationwide that seek to do things like prohibit #BookBans or forbid the #harassment of school & public librarians…. Legislators in 22 mostly blue states have proposed 57 such bills so far this year, & 2 have become #law….
But the #library-friendly measures are being outpaced by bills in mostly #RedStates that aim to restrict which #books#libraries can offer & #threaten#librarians w/ #prison or thousands in #fines for handing out “obscene” or “harmful” titles. At least 27 states are considering 100 such bills this year, 3 of which have become #law…. That adds to nearly a dozen similar measures enacted over the last 3 yrs across 10 states.
The #UnitedStates federal government updated how it classifies people by #race & #ethnicity for the 1st time in over a quarter-century, aiming to better capture an increasingly #diverse country & give policymakers a fuller view of the #Americans their work impacts.
Karin Orvis, the #UnitedStates’ chief statistician, said in a Thurs blog post on the WH website that the revision will “enhance our ability to compare information & data across federal agencies, & also to understand how well federal programs serve a #diverse#America.”
… Such data guides how federal ofcls analyze everything from #HealthCare outcomes to the redrawing of #CongressionalDistricts.
#SouthCarolina to use #CongressionalMap deemed #unconstitutional #SCOTUS heard arguments on the redistricting case in Oct but has yet to rule🤬, essentially running out the clock for the #2024election. A #federal#court ruled Thurs that time had run out to draw a new congressional district in #SC & said the state could use its existing map even though it had earlier determined that map was unconstitutional.
The panel of 3 judges last year concluded that #SouthCarolina’s #Republican-led #legislature “exiled” 30k #BlackVoters from the district to make it safer for a #White#GOP incumbent, Rep #NancyMace. #SC appealed, & both sides asked #SCOTUS to expedite the case to ensure a final ruling was in place well ahead of #election season. The justices heard arguments in October but have yet to rule.
During arguments, a majority of the #SupremeCourt appeared inclined to reinstate the lines the state had wanted. 5 months later, the justices have yet to rule. Both sides had asked the justices to rule by Jan.
By hanging onto the case, #SCOTUS effectively allowed the clock to run out for the #2024election.
When I say #RepresentationMatters It means having a full array of people on TV.
As a misplaced Asian half-breed, it mattered to me that I could see this on TV as a small kid, even if I didn't understand it.
Why would you take that away from a child?