Associate justice of the Supreme Court; landmark champion of gender equality
Recent memos show the US Supreme Court has been increasingly using secretive, expedited procedures to make major decisions, bypassing traditional deliberation. This shift began in 2016 with the blocking of Obama's climate policy and has since impacted numerous cases, raising concerns about transparency and judicial independence.
The Supreme Court has kept the core protections of the Voting Rights Act intact while ruling that Louisiana’s map-drawing to favor a Black-majority district was unconstitutional, signaling a shift in how race can be used in redistricting and prompting immediate map reviews in several states.
The Guardian reports that South Carolina’s proposed map redraw would dismantle James Clyburn’s district, a long-standing symbol of Black political representation in the state. The move comes as Republicans respond to the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling, raising fears of renewed racial gerrymandering and a shift in power.
Pope Leo XIV has reminded Americans of the nation’s founding ideals and the role of migrants in shaping the United States, delivering a live address from the Vatican to Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center on the eve of the 250th Independence Day. The pontiff’s comments indirectly challenge hardline immigration policies and call for a recommitment to liberty and dignity for all.