Alabama files emergency appeal with Supreme Court in redistricting case

geosoco@kbin.social to News@lemmy.world – 116 points –
Alabama files emergency appeal with Supreme Court in redistricting case
thehill.com

Alabama has filed an emergency appeal in its congressional map case, a week after a three-judge panel struck down on the matter.

In a filing submitted on Monday, Alabama state officials asked the Supreme Court to freeze the lower court’s ruling by October 1st. State officials also noted that the ruling can be put on hold as late as October 3rd, when a lower court’s proceedings are scheduled to select court-drawn alternatives of the congressional map.

The filing comes hours after a three-judge panel denied the state’s request to pause their decision on its congressional map.

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Running out the clock so the next appeal becomes "Well we don't have enough time to draw new maps so we have to use these!"

Court: "Damn, you got us." wink

Here's a hot take - they lose the appeal and the court draws their new districts according to law...sorry, your fascisism has been denied.

I’m a functioning democracy, sure.

In this dumpster fire we call a country….they’re going to reuse the old map that was the problem from the get go.

"It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission".

Especially if your actions make it so that it becomes you yourself who can dole out the forgiveness.

That’s not a hot take at all. That’s almost certainly what’s going to happen.

Some thoughts:

The Supreme Court ultimately were the ones who sustained the AL map being thrown out in the first place. While I’m sure politically the conservatives would prefer to see the lower court rule frozen, it would also be a clear and obvious attempt to undermine SCOTUS’ authority.

As for running out the clock and the Ohio comparison, the circuit court was clearly aware of this and has ruled a special master is to take redistricting out of the AL legislature’s hands. That’s the major issue with Ohio, there is no enforcement mechanism for an unconstitutional map, and for that reason voting rights groups are working to create one via constitutional amendment in 2024.

Plenty of room for a shitty outcome, but I think it’s more likely than not from a legal standpoint that AL gets its second Black district before the 2024 election.