The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 19, 2024
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
The 2020 redistricting cycle featured several examples of egregious, racist gerrymandering to dilute Black voting power in the South, but also Native American voters in the West. A 2022 Louisiana case is apparently the vehicle chosen by anti-voter states to strike down what’s left of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Louisiana’s population is 33% Black and should have two majority minority Congressional voting districts under the VRA. Instead, the state legislature manipulated the maps to dilute Black voting power. Voters challenged the map in March 2022, and after appeals, Gov. Jeff Landry signed off on maps with a second majority-Black district in January 2024.
In May 2024, Justice Samuel Alito granted a stay, keeping the maps from being used in November, pending an appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court. The White plaintiffs argue that the majority Black voting districts violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In September, 13 attorneys general from southern and western states joined an amicus brief, arguing the VRA had outlived its usefulness, and “clarity” was needed from the high court.
Expect to hear more about the case, now called Robinson v. Callais, in the months to come. It could spell the end of the Voting Rights Act as we know it.
We have links to documents for this important case at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
U.S. Supreme Court – Application for Stay in Robinson v. Callais
SCOTUS Blog – Timeline and Documents for Robinson v. Callais
U.S. Supreme Court – Amicus brief by 13 State Attorneys General in Robinson v. Callais
U.S. District Court – GALMON PLAINTIFFS’ REPLY IN SUPPORT OF THEIR MOTION TO
RECONSIDER DISMISSAL RULING AND TO SCHEDULE REMEDIAL
PROCEEDINGS
Democracy Docket – Louisiana Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Robinson)
U.S. Justice Department – Jurisdictions Previously Covered By Section 5 Preclearance Requirements
Groups Taking Action:
NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU Louisiana, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
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