Ballotpedia has identified 17 noteworthy redistricting cases that the Supreme Court has heard since 1946, and the court issued two such rulings this month.
In a 5-4 decision in Allen v. Milligan on June 8, SCOTUS affirmed the judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama that the state’s congressional redistricting plan adopted in November 2021 violated the Voting Rights Act. The Court referred the case back to the trial court for further proceedings and Alabama will redraw its congressional map to include a second majority-minority district.
In a 6-3 decision in Moore v. Harper on June 27, SCOTUS affirmed the North Carolina Supreme Court’s authority to decide whether the state’s congressional district boundaries complied with state law. Although the state supreme court later reversed its decision, SCOTUS’ ruling said, “The Elections Clause does not vest exclusive and independent authority in state legislatures to set the rules regarding federal elections…When state legislatures prescribe the rules concerning federal elections, they remain subject to the ordinary exercise of state judicial review.”
