The Florida Legislature has approved a new congressional map sent to them just two days earlier by Gov. Ron DeSantis that could give Florida Republicans up to four new congressional seats in the November midterm elections. The Florida Senate voted, 21-17, Wednesday afternoon to approve the map. Four Republicans – Jennifer Bradley, Alexis Calatayud, Ileana Garcia, and Erin Grall — joined…
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For proponents of voting rights and racially diverse democracy, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais was a brutal gut-punch. UCLA law professor Rick Hasen wrote in a Slate analysis that the decision, written by Republican-appointed justices, “will go down in history as one of the most pernicious and damaging Supreme Court decisions of the last century.”
Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissent that the ruling renders Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act “all but a dead letter” and that the consequences “are likely to be far-reaching and grave.” She added that in states “where that law continues to matter — the States still marked by residential segregation and racially polarized voting — minority voters can now be cracked out of the electoral process.”
With this in mind, it’s easy to imagine Donald Trump reacting to the ruling with delight, not just because of his record of radical animus, but also because Republican-appointed justices just delivered a ruling that will almost certainly benefit the president’s party.
And yet, when a reporter asked Trump about the high court’s decision, several hours after its release, he appeared to have absolutely no idea what had happened.
Q: In light of the SCOTUS ruling on the Voting Rights Act, do you want Republican states to look at redrawing congressional districts before the midterms?TRUMP: When did it come out? I’ve been with contractors because we’re trying to get the ballroom built ahead of schedule. Tell me what happened— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-04-29T18:21:49.982Z
“Tell me, when did the ruling come out?” the president asked, adding that he’d “been with contractors” talking about his ballroom vanity project. After talking about the
Over the past year, we have seen the Trump administration repeatedly use the specter of sexual violence to scapegoat immigrants and trans people — specifically women and transfeminine people. Both historically and currently, these groups are disproportionately likely to face sexual violence, but in the right-wing narrative, they have been reframed as its perpetrators. While breathtaking in its…
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The United States Supreme Court issued an opinion on Wednesday that critics say may have finally dismantled protections for nonwhite voters codified in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. By a 6-3 ruling along partisan lines, the conservative-led court found that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act was being improperly used by lower courts to require states that have racially gerrymandered their…
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Texas’ newly redrawn congressional map is officially cleared for use, after the U.S. Supreme Court formally overturned a lower court’s ruling Monday. In November, the high court allowed the map to be used temporarily. Monday’s ruling maintains that status quo permanently, ensuring the new lines will be used for the 2026 midterms and going forward. The ruling ends the lengthy legal battle over…
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In late March, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court issued a momentous ruling overturning mandatory life sentences for people convicted of felony murder, also known as second-degree murder. Activists and advocates hailed the ruling as a victory that was years in the making and has the potential to impact the lives of more than a thousand people in the state, a majority of whom are Black.
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