Racial Gerrymandering Wins at the Supreme Court

A 5–4 Supreme Court this morning, in Allen v. Milligan, struck down Alabama’s congressional map on the grounds that it wasn’t race-conscious enough. The opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts was joined by the Court’s three liberals, and joined in part by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, with dissents from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

The map, newly adopted after the 2020 census, was used in the 2022 elections while the lawsuit was pending. The likely result will be an additional House seat for Democrats on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, and one fewer for Republicans. That will heighten the burden faced by House Republicans in holding on to their slim majority in 2024.

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Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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A 5–4 Supreme Court this morning, in Allen v. Milligan, struck down Alabama’s congressional map on the grounds that it wasn’t race-conscious enough. The opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts was joined by the Court’s three liberals, and joined in part by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, with dissents from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

The map, newly adopted after the 2020 census, was used in the 2022 elections while the lawsuit was pending. The likely result will be an additional House seat for Democrats on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, and one fewer for Republicans. That will heighten the burden faced by House Republicans in holding on to their slim majority in 2024.