Court To Hear Cases On Voting Restrictions And Gerrymandering

The Supreme Court Battles Over Election-Law Changes

Court to Hear Cases on Voting Restrictions and Gerrymandering

The cases could have far-reaching implications for the 2024 presidential election

The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments this week in two cases that could have far-reaching implications for the 2024 presidential election. The first case, Merrill v. Milligan, challenges a lower court ruling that struck down Alabama's new voting restrictions. The second case, Moore v. Harper, challenges the constitutionality of a North Carolina congressional map that critics say was gerrymandered to favor Republicans.

The Alabama voting restrictions law, which was passed in 2021, requires voters to provide identification when they vote by mail, limits the number of ballot drop boxes, and makes it a crime to offer food or water to voters waiting in line. A lower court ruled that the law violated the Voting Rights Act and likely depressed Black voter turnout.

The North Carolina congressional map was drawn by the state's Republican-controlled legislature. Critics say the map was gerrymandered to give Republicans an unfair advantage in elections. A lower court agreed, but the Supreme Court stayed the lower court's ruling while it considers the case.

The Supreme Court's decisions in these cases could have a major impact on the 2024 presidential election. If the Court upholds the Alabama voting restrictions, it could make it more difficult for people of color to vote. If the Court upholds the North Carolina congressional map, it could give Republicans an unfair advantage in the 2024 House elections.