The Supreme Court appears likely to rule in favor of a South Carolina congressional map that would give Republicans an advantage in the early primary state.
The case involves the use of the 14th Amendment in an effort to force a redrawn map.
Supreme Court appears to lean in favor of upholding GOP-drawn South Carolina congressional map https://t.co/CuUThWMDlf
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) October 11, 2023
"But Chief Justice John Roberts said that accepting the arguments of the plaintiffs challenging the state 'would be breaking new ground in our voting rights jurisprudence,'" Fox News reported.
"We've never had a case where there's been no direct evidence, no [alternative] map, no strangely configured districts, and a very large amount of political evidence" to counter the racial gerrymander claims, he said.
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority expressed doubts that South Carolina’s congressional map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander at oral arguments in a case that could bring Democrats one step closer to winning the House. https://t.co/dQXGhYYCeU pic.twitter.com/C5HinVdPWj
— The Hill (@thehill) October 11, 2023
"The challenge is centered on a newly redrawn congressional district represented by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who beat a Democrat in 2020 but whose new district under the proposal cements a GOP tilt," the Hill reported.
"She is regularly thrust in the spotlight for bucking her party but joined a small contingent of conservative Republicans in voting to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the top leadership post," it added.
The US Supreme Court suggested it will reinstate a Republican-drawn congressional map in South Carolina https://t.co/ucHqdk1B4s
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) October 11, 2023
The case follows a related situation in Alabama where the court ruled in the opposite direction in favor of a second district favoring Democrats.
"Last June, however, the Supreme Court surprised pretty much everyone who follows voting rights litigation when it voted 5-4 to strike down a racially gerrymandered map in Alabama," Vox reported.
"The Court’s opinion in Allen v. Milligan, the Alabama case, was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, and joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, along with the Court’s three Democratic appointees," it continued.
The new case could not only be an issue for Mace but also for the House as the GOP seeks to keep its slim advantage in 2024.
The latest moves show the significance of even one seat changing hands as the next election cycle heats up and both parties battle for an advantage to gain power for the next two years.
