The Supreme Court docket hears arguments Tuesday in an election case from Alabama—a case that might resolve how far the federal courts can go after they require state legislatures to think about race in drawing boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts.
At difficulty is Part 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits states from abridging on the premise of race the correct to vote. The plaintiffs on this present case, Merrill v. Milligan—together with these in a companion case, Merrill v. Caster—are legislators and advocacy teams that declare the VRA requires the state to think about race as a significant factor in mapping districts, whereas Alabama claims that maps ought to be drawn on a race-neutral foundation.
