Moore v Harper and the Electoral Reform Act, are connected to a broader undemocratic plot.
by Robert Reich, LA Progressive
Sometimes I feel like screaming at the mainstream media for failing to alert people to crucial (although complicated) issues affecting our democracy coming from different parts of government simultaneously.
Case in point: Moore vs. Harper, argued yesterday before the Supreme Court, and the Electoral Reform Act, which must be enacted before the end of this Congress because Republicans won’t touch it once they control the House.
The two are intimately connected but you wouldn’t know that from the mainstream media, which is treating them as two separate stories. Let me make the connection.
In Moore, North Carolina Republicans aim to restore a redistricting map drawn by the GOP-led legislature but rejected as violating the state constitution by North Carolina’s supreme court.
North Carolina bases its argument on the bonkers “independent state legislature” theory, which interprets Article I Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution (authorizing state legislatures to prescribe “the times, places and manner of holding elections”) to give state legislatures sole authority over elections, without interference from state courts.
The theory sprang from the head of Justice William Rehnquist in 2000, who wrote (in a concurring opinion in Bush v. Gore) that “the text of the election law itself, and not just its interpretation by the courts of the States, takes on independent significance.”
Recent Posts
‘A Day Without Immigrants’: Protests Against Trump’s Mass Deportation Plans Across U.S.
Take Action Now “D.C. depends deeply on immigrants, who work vital jobs in our local economy, pay taxes, and make the city a vibrant place to…
Fed Employee Unions Sue Over Musk’s Government Takeover
Take Action Now“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has allowed unelected billionaires and their lackeys unfettered access to…
Trump’s Energy Pick Wants To Export Climate Destruction
Take Action NowChris Wright turns a real issue into a neat talking point for the destruction of the planet.By Gabriel Colburn, Foreign…
On Solidarity, Love, and Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing, a Zero Hour Conversation with Rebecca Vilkomerson
Take Action Now The book and interview underscore the importance of long-term organizing, solidarity, and creating spaces for political and spiritual…