Thank You, Justice Sonya Sotomayor
The Supremes punted on redistricting again this morning.
The one bright light: Strong words from the start from Sotomayor:
“The Court today goes out of its way to permit the State of Texas to use maps that the three-judge District Court unanimously found were adopted for the purpose of preserving the racial discrimination that tainted its previous maps.”
No kidding. The Supreme Court just codified racial discrimination.
The justices ruled 5-4 Monday in an unusual case involving congressional and state legislative districts that had first been adopted by the lower court on an interim basis, then approved by the Texas Legislature.
In 2017, the same judges who approved the interim maps in 2012 agreed with the challengers that the maps were the product of intentional discrimination.
But Justice Samuel Alito said for the court’s conservative majority that the lower court made a mistake by striking down all but one of the districts.