SPLC: Supreme Court decision not to stop politicians from rigging voting maps hurts our democracy
The Supreme Court decided today that federal courts have no role in regulating state legislatures’ gross abuses of power when drawing political lines.
The court’s decision on partisan gerrymandering will have a devastating effect on our democracy – possibly for decades to come.
The 5-to-4 decision in Rucho v. Common Cause, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., was decided by the court’s conservative majority. Skewed, partisan maps during the next redistricting cycle will further dilute the voices of voters, leading to dangerous political ramifications.
It is vital to the health of our democracy that politicians not be able to rig the voting maps to choose their voters to protect themselves.
We will continue to use all of the tools available to us in the courtroom, state legislatures and communities to ensure fair representation of all voters.
Photo by The Washington Post/Getty Images
