Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Merrill v. Milligan. The Court will determine whether Alabama’s 2021 redistricting plan for its seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racially discriminatory voting practices and procedures. Joining host Jeffrey Rosen to discuss whether Section 2 and the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution require or forbids congressional districting plans to account for race are Rick Hasen of UCLA and Jason Torchinsky of Holtzman Vogel.
Listen to “Redistricting in Alabama and the Voting Rights Act – Part 1” here.
Please subscribe to We the People and Live at the National Constitution Center on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
This episode was produced by Melody Rowell and engineered by Dave Stotz. Research was provided by Sophia Gardell, Liam Kerr, Emily Campbell, Kelsang Dolma, Sam Desai and Lana Ulrich.
Participants
Rick Hasen is a professor of law and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA. He runs the Election Law Blog, and his most recent book is Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics―and How to Cure It.
Jason Torchinsky is a partner at Holtzman Vogel, specializing in campaign finance, election law, lobbying disclosure and issue advocacy groups. Prior to joining the firm, Jason was Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice. Jason has also served as lead counsel in a number of litigation matters dealing with First Amendment freedoms and election law and redistricting issues.
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
- Listen to oral argument or read the transcript in Merrill v. Milligan
- Read Rick Hasen’s analysis of the arguments in Merrill v. Milligan on the Election Law Blog
- Read Jason Torchinsky’s amicus brief in Merrill v. Milligan on behalf of the Republican Redistricting Trust
- Listen to “Redistricting in Alabama and the Voting Rights Act -- Part 1” from February 17, 2022
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.
Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected].
Continue today’s conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.
