Black Democrats are accusing Republicans of using redistricting to create “Jim Crow 2.0,” especially as GOP-led states move to redraw congressional maps in ways that could weaken or eliminate districts currently represented by Black Democrats. The immediate flashpoint is South Carolina, where Republicans are discussing a map that could threaten Rep. Jim Clyburn’s seat, the…
When “Protecting Voters” Becomes “Sorting by Race”
Yesterday’s decision by the Supreme Court to strike down certain majority-minority congressional districts as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering has landed like a political thunderclap, though not exactly a surprising one. If you’ve been watching the Court’s trajectory on race-conscious policymaking, this feels less like a sudden detour and more like the next logical mile marker. Still,…
Drawing the Line: A Look at Texas’ Redistricting Gamble
Last week, the Texas Legislature stirred up quite a storm by passing a bold—and let’s be honest, pretty controversial—mid-decade redistricting map. Now, that’s not your typical move. Redistricting usually happens after the census, every ten years, not smack-dab in the middle of the decade. But here we are. The vote split right down party lines:…