While our state legislature has been relatively quiet, the US Supreme Court has recently issued a pair of decisions, one good, one bad, that affect issues of importance to our members.

Medical Abortions-Safe for Now

Last night, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Fifth Circuit ruling in a case brought by Louisiana that would have sharply restricted access to mifepristone by ending mail delivery and telehealth prescribing nationwide. The Court’s order keeps current FDA rules in place while the case continues, preserving mail order access to the medication for now; conservative Justices Alito and Thomas dissented.

Voting Rights Act Eroded

In Louisiana v. Callais, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a major piece of the Voting Rights Act and all but ended that landmark civil rights law’s guarantee that communities of color have the right to fair congressional districts where they can elect a candidate of their choice. The 6-3 decision significantly limits how states can use race in redistricting.

The decision weakens Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by making it much harder to challenge voting maps that dilute minority voting power. Previously, plaintiffs could win by showing that district lines had the effect of reducing minority voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice; now the standard is whether there is intent to racially discriminate. After Louisiana v. Callais, states can more easily defend their maps by saying they were drawn for partisan rather than racial reasons.

Critics argue this creates a major loophole because race and party affiliation are often closely linked in Southern states, allowing legislatures to weaken Black voting influence while claiming political motives. Legal scholars and civil rights groups say the ruling could sharply reduce the number of majority-minority districts and make future Voting Rights Act lawsuits far less successful.

The solution for this problem is to end political gerrymandering. Almost two thirds of voters agree that political and racial gerrymandering should be eliminated.

Sign the petition below to tell congress that gerrymandering is wrong:

https://www.commoncause.org/actions/tell-congress-we-demand-fair-maps/