Today: 6 August 2025
28 June 2023
2 mins read

SC continues defending voters’ rights: Barack Obama

Chief Justice said that the Constitution “does not exempt state legislatures from the ordinary constraints imposed by state law.”..reports Asian Lite News

US former President Barack Obama, on Tuesday, said that the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend state election laws nationwide and made clear that the institution can continue defending voters’ rights in North Carolina.

Taking to Twitter, Obama said, “Today, the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend our democracy and dismantle our system of checks and balances.”

“This ruling rejects the far-right theory that threatened to undermine our democracy, and makes clear that courts can continue defending voters’ rights–in North Carolina and in every state. Thanks to @RedistrictFdn and @EricHolder for helping make this happen,” he said in a tweet.

This tweet came after the Supreme Court ruled in a case where it rejected a legal theory that would have radically reshaped how federal elections are conducted by giving state legislatures largely unchecked power to set all sorts of rules for federal elections and to draw congressional maps warped by partisan gerrymandering, as per The New York Times.

The vote was 6 to 3, with Chief Justice John Roberts Jr writing the majority opinion. He said that the Constitution protects voting rights in federal elections and state courts can enforce those provisions.

Chief Justice said that the Constitution “does not exempt state legislatures from the ordinary constraints imposed by state law.”

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito Jr and Neil Gorsuch dissented.

The case concerned the “independent state legislature” theory. The doctrine is based on a reading of the Constitution’s Elections Clause, which says, “The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof.”

The Republicans, seeking to restore the legislative map last year, have urged the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and also appealed that the state court was not entitled to second-guess the Legislature, reported The New York Times.

After their request, the justices rejected it for immediate intervention, and the election in November was conducted under a map drawn by experts appointed by a state court. That resulted in a 14-member congressional delegation that was evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, roughly mirroring the state’s partisan divisions.

The composition of the North Carolina Supreme Court changed after elections in November, favouring Republicans by a 5-to-2 margin. In what a dissenting justice called a “shameful manipulation of fundamental principles of our democracy and the rule of law,” the new majority reversed course, saying the Legislature was free to draw gerrymandered voting districts as it saw fit, according to The New York Times. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Rajnath slams Obama for remarks on India

Previous Story

Chinese premier champions multilateralism and globalisation

Next Story

UAE leaders wish peace and happiness

Latest from -Top News

China, Pakistan Men Join Russia in War: Zelensky

Ukrainian President said soldiers reported “mercenaries” from China, Pakistan, Central Asia, and Africa fighting in the war, and vowed to respond….reports Asian Lite News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that “mercenaries”

Gaza Conflict Claims 28 Children a Day

UN experts and more than 150 humanitarian organisations have called for a permanent ceasefire…reports Asian Lite News The United Nations reports that around 28 children are being killed each day in Gaza

US Mulls Terror Tag for Muslim Brotherhood

The US’ plan to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group comes after a bipartisan bill was introduced by Republican Congressman…reports Asian Lite News The US is once again edging closer

Hamas Sets Terms For Disarmament

HAMAS: ‘The resistance and its weapons will not be abandoned until our full national rights are restored, foremost among which is the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state’ Hamas affirmed

Statehood For Palestine

Analysts see the general move as a deliberate push to revive a stagnant peace process long controlled by Israel, Hamas and the United States, all of whom, they say, have shown little
Go toTop

Don't Miss

US mission in Afghanistan failed: Russia

This remark comes amid stalled intra-Afghan negotiation and the Taliban’s

US Eases Visa Renewal for 20,000 Indian H1B Workers

Due to heavy visa backlogs, some H-1B workers have pursued