Alabama: Verdict gives US Democrats a boost

“A decade of disappointments has led blacks and Democrats to fear Supreme Court voting rights decisions. In 2013, a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was struck down by a 5-4 majority. Subsequent rulings have voided the rest of the law, and in 2019 a majority of justices ruled to ban partisan gerrymandering on federal courts. declared no authority,” wrote The Atlantic.

This seemed to open the door to gerrymandering – the political practice of parties manipulating constituency boundaries for their own benefit. However, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of black voters who challenged Republican party boundaries. The court found that the state violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in elections.

Expert sees “game changer”.

After the decision, Alabama must appoint a second seat to the U.S. House of Representatives, which has a black majority. In the invalid category, six districts in Alabama’s House of Representatives are majority white — only one is black — even though blacks make up 27 percent of the southern state’s population.

“There are small developments and events that change the course of things. I think it’s a ‘game changer,'” said David Wasserman, senior editor at the Cook Political Report, which analyzes U.S. elections and campaigns.

The ruling is widely believed to have a domino effect on other pending cases, eventually forcing three Southern states — along with Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia — to redistrict and give more weight to minorities ahead of congressional elections.

Georgia and Louisiana Trust

In Georgia, for example, electoral maps drawn by Republicans argue that they have made a district in Atlanta whiter and more Republican — even though population growth in the state has been driven by blacks. A judge last year ruled that it was too late to change the cards before the midterm elections, but he wrote that there was reason to believe they could violate the Voting Rights Act.

Another state where the ruling could have an immediate impact is Louisiana. The state is represented by five white Republicans and one black Democrat. According to the Census, about one-third of the state’s population is black. Katie Bernhardt, chairwoman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, said: “Obviously we’re cautiously optimistic, and that’s a great thing. It gives us a real shot at fair representation.

US states must draw new electoral districts based on the census every ten years. This has a huge impact on which political party is favored in the elections. To varying degrees, state legislatures use redistricting to favor their party. A majority of African Americans vote Democratic. In Alabama and many other states, the majority of white voters are Republican.

Tough competition for the House of Representatives

Republicans currently control the House of Representatives by a slim majority, so even small changes in constituencies can have an impact. Democrats said the Supreme Court’s latest ruling would give them a better chance of winning back the House in November 2024 elections. “This will affect redistricting across the country and help create a House of Representatives that better reflects the diversity of our nation,” said Suzanne Delbein, chair of the Democratic Campaign Committee.

Republicans protested that the decision was inappropriate and did not hurt their chances. Jack Pandol, a spokesman for the Republican Party’s campaign division, said the Democrats’ open policy is to “prosecute until it’s blue.” States with a majority of Democrats are considered “blue”.

Spencer Overton, a professor at George Washington University Law School, said the ruling was important but not permanent. “The consequences of the case are far greater than whether there will be another black member of Congress,” Overton said. “However, my concern is that this is a narrow victory.” Opponents of the decision may find ways to bring the matter back to the Supreme Court with new, conservative-based arguments.