Supreme Court orders voting maps redrawn in Alabama to accommodate Black voters
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Alabama officials to redraw the state's congressional map to allow an additional Black majority district to account for the fact that the state is 27% Black.
2023-06-08 23:51
Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters in unexpected defense of Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court has issued a surprising ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case, rejecting a Republican-led effort to weaken a landmark voting rights law
2023-06-08 23:49
Mike Pence news - live: Ex-veep contradicts himself on Trump charges at town hall launching 2024 campaign
Former US vice president Mike Pence officially announced that he is running for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, putting him up against former president Donald Trump. In a speech in Iowa on his 64th birthday, Mr Pence trod a fine line between embracing the record of the Trump administration and attacking Mr Trump for his role in the deadly Capitol riot of 6 January 2021. In a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening, Mr Pence reasserted his conservative culture war credentials on abortion, gun rights, crime, school choice, and climate change. When asked about his estranged former boss, he called on the Department of Justice not to prosecute Mr Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents, immediately after saying that everyone should be treated equally under the law. Significantly, he refused to say he would pardon the ex-president if he won the White House. In an increasingly crowded GOP field, Mr Pence faces competition from the likes of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, senator Tim Scott and ex-UN ambassador Nikki Haley. Today, Mike and former second lady Karen Pence celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary. Read More Mike Pence isn’t even a contender for 2024. Why are we pretending? Mike Pence suffered the wrath of Trump. Now the ex-vice president wants his old boss’s job in 2024 The Republican presidential field is largely set. Here are takeaways on where the contest stands.
2023-06-08 22:58
Supreme Court rules Alabama discriminated against Black voters in major victory for voting rights
In a victory for voting rights and Alabama voters, the US Supreme Court has ruled that the state likely violated the Voting Rights Act with a congressional redistricting plan that diluted the voting power of Black voters. The state likely discriminated against Black voters with a newly drafted map that packs most of the state’s Black residents into a single district, out of seven, despite Black residents making up 27 per cent of the state’s population. A key ruling in the case of Allen v Milligan means that the state will have to re-draw its congressional map to include a second majority-Black district. The surprise 5-4 decision on the conservative-majority panel was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by liberal Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, with partial but crucial concurrence from conservative Brett Kavanaugh. In January, a lower court determined that the map significantly dilutes Black residents’ political power and ordered the state to draw new political boundaries that would create at least two districts in which Black voters would be more likely to elect a representative that more closely resembles the state’s demographics. The Voting Rights Act was drafted to prevent that kind of race-based dilution of Black voters. But attorneys for the state argued the opposite – that considering race to redraw political boundaries would mark an unconstitutional consideration of “racial targets” and “race-based sorting”, in violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. A decision that sided with Alabama attorneys would have radically reduced Black voters’ political power and landed a critical blow to a state with a long history of racist violence and discrimination. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits voting laws and election policies from discriminating on the basis of race. The state’s suggestion that “race should play no role whatsoever” to determine whether redistricting plans violate Section 2 would “rewrite” the law and “overturn decades of settled precedent,” according to the map’s challengers. Attorneys for President Joe Biden’s administration argue that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act should be considered when “pervasive racial politics would otherwise deny minority voters equal electoral opportunities.” The map’s challengers argued that is precisely what is at stake in Alabama. This is a developing story Read More Main suspect in 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway due to be extradited to US Alabama senator says Space Command prefers Huntsville for HQ, but command has no comment Missouri governor signs ban on transgender health care, school sports
2023-06-08 22:57
US Supreme Court backs Black voters in challenge to Alabama electoral map
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday handed a major victory to Black voters who challenged
2023-06-08 22:52
Why Mike Pence is already struggling in the presidential race
The vice presidency can be a stepping stone to the presidency. Just ask Joe Biden, who found that serving as Barack Obama's No. 2 was the ticket to winning his party's nomination for president after two unsuccessful attempts.
2023-06-08 20:57
The Republican presidential field is largely set. Here are takeaways on where the contest stands.
The Republican Party’s 2024 presidential field is all but set after a trio of new announcements this week
2023-06-08 20:24
Hollywood actor becomes latest arrested in Jan 6 Capitol assault
LOS ANGELES A Hollywood actor who has appeared on such TV shows as "Arrested Development" and the cartoon
2023-06-08 19:15
Finland's Foreign Minister Haavisto to run for president
HELSINKI Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Thursday he will run for president in next year's election,
2023-06-08 16:25
Catch up with the moments you missed from Pence's town hall
Former Vice President Mike Pence officially entered the 2024 GOP primary field in his bid for the White House. In a CNN Republican town hall hosted by Dana Bash, the former Indiana governor took questions from voters who intend to participate in the Iowa Republican caucuses.
2023-06-08 12:25
Prosecutors tell Trump lawyers he is target of classified docs probe: reports
US prosecutors have told Donald Trump's lawyers that he is the target of a probe into his handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency, in a sign he might...
2023-06-08 10:55
Takeaways from CNN's town hall with Mike Pence
Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized his former boss President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a CNN town hall on Wednesday night.
2023-06-08 10:16