N環球 
Washington: Justice Kagan Says Supreme Court Majority Is 'Destructive to Democracy'
US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan told students in Washington that the court's 6-3 conservative majority has enabled partisan gerrymandering, creating a 'race to the bottom' that undermines American democracy.
Why it matters
US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan told students at Catholic University's law school in Washington on Tuesday that the court's 6-3 conservative majority has undermined democracy and "created a race to the bottom" in how congressional districts are drawn.
Kagan, one of the court's three liberals, said the conservatives have enabled increased political polarization by not reining in partisan gerrymandering: both parties have engaged in a race to the bottom, "effectively depriving masses of citizens of their rights to voting equality."
She said gerrymandering drives candidates toward the extremes — "the only thing anybody has to worry about anymore is being primaried" — and is making an already polarized country even more so. Large states are being pushed to turn entirely red or entirely blue, she warned, in a way that is "very destructive to our democracy."
Context
In April, the court gutted a pillar of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 civil rights law aimed at preventing racial discrimination in voting. The ruling prompted a frenzied round of redistricting across the South, eliminating US House districts where Black voters make up a majority or near-majority.
President Donald Trump's Republican Party is seeking to retain control of Congress in the November midterm elections.
💬 Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!