Last week, the Supreme Court issued an order in a case—Merrill v. Milligan—about voting district maps in Alabama. After the 2020 census, Alabama drew new maps for seven districts, which would determine the seats in the House of Representatives. Of those seven, one district has a majority Black population. A lower court ordered Alabama to redraw the maps so that two districts have majority Black populations, finding that the current plan violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, temporarily put that ruling on hold, with Chief Justice Roberts siding with the three liberal justices.
So—what does it all mean for voting rights in Alabama, and for the Voting Rights Act itself? Today on We the People, we want to help you understand the issues surrounding Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Joining host Jeffrey Rosen are Rick Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, and co-director of the Fair Elections and Free Speech Center; and Matthew Clark, executive director of the Alabama Center for Law & Liberty.
FULL PODCAST
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This episode was produced by Melody Rowell and engineered by Greg Scheckler. Research was provided by Kevin Closs, Ruben Aguirre, Sam Desai, and Lana Ulrich.
Participants
Rick Hasen is Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, and is Co-Director of the Fair Elections and Free Speech Center. His newest book comes out on March 8, and it’s called Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics.
Matthew Clark is Executive Director of the Alabama Center for Law & Liberty, the litigation arm of the Alabama Policy Institute. He submitted an amicus brief on the side of Alabama.
Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
Additional Resources
- Rick Hasen’s analysis of the Alabama cases for the Election Law Blog
- Matthew Clark’s amicus brief, on behalf of the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty
- The Supreme Court’s decision to stay the injunction, written by Justice Kavanaugh
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.
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