Federal Judges Block Alabama From Using Racially Gerrymandered Congressional Map

A three-judge panel on Tuesday morning blocked Alabama from using a 2023 congressional map the panel ruled racially discriminatory and ordered the state to use a remedial map aimed at giving Black Alabamians a chance to elect their preferred leaders. The order comes almost a month after the U.S. Supreme Court substantially weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in a case known as…
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SCOTUS Denied VA Dems’ Attempt to Salvage Congressional Map Approved by Voters

Virginia’s Democratic attorney general, Jay Jones, said Friday night that he would redouble efforts to campaign on behalf of Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections following the US Supreme Court’s rejection of a request to restore a voter-approved congressional map. Following the high court’s one-sentence denial of Democratic state officials’ petition for emergency relief…
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SCOTUS Ruling on Voting Rights Act Puts a Third of Black Caucus Seats at Risk

Nearly a third of the seats in Congress currently held by members of the Congressional Black Caucus could be at risk due to a recent Supreme Court ruling upending aspects of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), a new analysis has found. In late April, the conservative-led Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, ruled against enforcement mechanisms used by some lower courts requiring…
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Tennessee’s War on Black Political Power Demands Not Just Outrage But Resistance

There are moments when history moves so fast that distraction becomes dangerous. Last week was one of those moments. While much of Memphis and Shelby County were pulled into the familiar rhythms of election analysis, political frustration, and personality-driven debate, something far more consequential was unfolding in Nashville. Tennessee’s recent congressional redistricting effort…
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Tennessee GOP House Speaker Suspends Dems From Committees for Voting Map Protest

Tennessee’s Republican House speaker is punishing Democrats for participating in a chaotic end to the special session lawmakers used to redraw congressional maps to bolster a GOP candidate in the midterm election. House Speaker Cameron Sexton sent a letter Tuesday to House Minority Leader Karen Camper notifying her that Democratic Caucus members will be removed from all standing committees…
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Louisiana Hearing Erupts Over GOP Push to Eliminate Majority-Black Districts

Tensions erupted Friday as Republican state lawmakers presented new election maps to eliminate one or both of Louisiana’s majority-Black congressional districts. Hundreds of people came to the State Capitol, filling several overflow rooms, to watch the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, which met to consider new U.S. House district boundaries and give the public a chance to comment.
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