Voting Rights on the Line
The Supreme Court is considering two cases that will have reaching implications for voting rights. Both involve redistricting and both will have significant impact on what remains of the Voting Rights Act. Merrill v. Milligan, out of Alabama centers on accusations of racial gerrymandering by the state in an effort to dilute the Black vote. Gerrymandering is also an issue in the case Moore v. Harper, out of North Carolina. At stake is the so-called “independent state legislature theory.” Plaintiffs in the case say the state of North Carolina has used this theory to dodge a state court ruling that struck down gerrymandered voting maps. Our guest today is Sailor Jones, the Associate Director of Common Cause in North Carolina, one of the plaintiffs in Moore v. Harper.