SCOTUS racial gerrymandering resolution: Trump’s subsequent redistricting targets

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Welcome to The Logoff: After a significant Supreme Court docket resolution, President Donald Trump is pushing Republicans to redistrict much more aggressively.

What’s taking place? On Thursday, Trump mentioned in a submit that Tennessee’s governor would “work arduous to right” the state’s congressional map to be able to “give us one additional seat” in Congress.

It’s the newest signal that, following the brand new Supreme Court docket opinion, Republicans will attempt to choose up much more seats forward of the 2026 midterms by additional gerrymandering a number of totally different states, together with Tennessee, Louisiana, and Florida.

What’s the context? On Wednesday, the Court docket dominated 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais to strike down a provision of the Voting Rights Act banning racial gerrymandering.

As my colleague Ian Millhiser explained , the upshot of the ruling isn’t simply that the Court docket’s six conservative justices have additional weakened the Voting Rights Act; the choice is a full-throated endorsement of essentially the most aggressive gerrymandering schemes attainable, and Republican politicians — together with Trump — are taking word.

How did this begin? Trump can be the one who kicked all of this off final 12 months, when his White Home determined to stress Texas right into a uncommon mid-decade redistricting scheme. Texas efficiently created about 5 extra Republican seats within the US Home — probably — by redrawing its maps, however within the course of, launched a wider conflict.

How’s the maths wanting? Till just lately, it appeared just like the redistricting wars might have backfired on Republicans, or at finest ended with a stalemate. Earlier this month, Virginia voters accepted a referendum to attract new maps creating 4 extra Democratic seats, giving the occasion a slight edge nationally.

Since then, nonetheless, Florida has gotten concerned; earlier this week, its legislature handed new maps netting 4 new Republican seats. On Thursday, Louisiana additionally suspended its about-to-begin congressional primaries to present it time to redraw its maps in response to the Callais resolution. And if Tennessee Republicans make good on Trump’s submit, the occasion might web one other seat too.

And with that, it’s time to sign off…

Hello readers — in the event you, like me, occur to dwell in Washington, DC, I've some pretty particular excellent news for you. Right this moment, the solar will set at 8 pm right here for the primary time this 12 months, and we gained’t get a sundown sooner than 8 pm once more till August. With that in thoughts, let’s go sign off and luxuriate in some sunshine — we’ll see you again right here in Might (which is, someway, tomorrow).