AL vs. USSC: Gives Court the Middle Finger on Suppression of Black Voters Decision

 

Courts tell AL develop 2 Black districts not one

AL GOP legislature tells SCOTUS f**k you

A sad blatant case of racism in Alabama, re: their refusal to follow a USSC ruling on a major gerrymandering case that impacts black Americans in AL that hampers their right to vote and choose whom they want to represent them.

That ruling was a major setback for the AL legislature and their Governor but now they defied those two decisions with a new law that seems to say to the U.S. Supreme Court that we will ignore the law and your ruling implying: “We don’t give a damn what you say. We will do as we please.” (Or words to that effect).

That shocking story headline is here from THE ROOT:

“Alabama GOP Refuses to Back Down Over Discriminatory Map”

Alabama lawmakers vote on redistricting map despite Supreme Court ruling otherwise. 

The Alabama GOP is pushing forward with its latest congressional map once again proving if it’s one thing they have in droves, their audacity.

On Friday (July 21) Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed a new map with just one majority-Black district instead of the court-ordered two. 

All of this could be viewed as typical gerrymandering shenanigans if it weren’t for the fact that multiple courts (including the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled in part saying: “…the state needs to form two majority-Black districts or quite close to it.”

Background: In June, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling in Allen v. Milligan. That case found that the state’s original single map violated the Voting Rights Act (VRA) signed into law on August 6, 1965 by President LBJ). 

The original map only had one Majority-Black district, despite Black Americans making up 27% of the state.  Both courts ordered AL to draw an additional majority district back to the original two.

Instead of following what sounded like a pretty straightforward ruling, the new map now again only includes one voting district that is roughly 50% Black and the other one that is a little less than 40% Black.

Gov. Ivey didn’t even try to pretend like she was following the court’s order in a statement she released after signing off on the map, saying: “The Legislature knows our state, our people, and our districts better than the federal courts or activist groups, and I am pleased that they answered the call, remained focused, and produced new districts ahead of the court deadline.” 

State Rep. and DEM Minority Chairman Chris England (D) said on Twitter: “I am convinced that passing a non-compliant map was the plan all along. We could have saved time and money by not doing anything and just letting the court draw it. We find ourselves back in a familiar position of waiting for the Federal Court to tell us what to do. But, the thing is, I am convinced that this is what some folks actually wanted. And because of this defiance, who knows what’s going to happen next.”

The fate of the new map is now back in the hands of the court system that threw out the first one. Federal judges will hold a hearing on August 14th to hear objections to the new congressional map. 

But Black Democratic lawmakers, like England, are worried that won’t be the end of this saga.

My 2 Cents: Here is a quick 2-minute video of that GOP session with some DEMs sounding off – click here to watch:

Shame on AL and their GOP … now watch other “red” states try and follow. The GOP will do or try or lie or deny anything to cheat and win. 

That is how this “new” Trump owned GOP strategy works. Seems Trump taught them well.

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