The Supreme Court is adjourned until the First Monday in October. And that’s a wrap!
There were three remaining cases to be decided this morning and I’m happy with one of them – the one dealing with Congressional Redistricting- that could conceivably lead to the end of gerrymandering!
Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission
Arizona’s redistricting case stems from a ballot initiative from 2000 that established an independent redistricting commission to oversee complaints of legislative gerrymandering. What happened next was a partisan battle and a lawsuit by Republicans that argued the administration of federal elections should be decided by the “legislature.” But what does “legislature” mean? The redistricting commission argues “legislature” means the legislative process, while the legislature says it refers to the legislative “body.” The case could have consequences for a handful of other states, including California, that have election laws approved in a ballot initiative process.
It was a 5-4 decision, written by Ruth Bader Ginsberg, with Kennedy joining with the majority.
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Arizona’s voters were entitled to try to make the process of drawing congressional district lines less partisan.
The other two decisions handed down today included
Glossip v. Gross dealing with lethal injections for capital punishment, in which the court decided b that states may use a drug linked to apparently botched executions to carry out death sentences. Full analysis »
Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA et. al. dealt a blow to the Obama administration and environmentalists alike, as the court found the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act by failing to undertake a cost-benefit analysis in deciding whether to set limits on emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from power plants.
Today on the show, we celebrated Friday’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges and three related cases that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage with our regular Monday guest, Joel Silberman!
And we discussed the rest of it with Brad Friedman, muckraker from the Bradblog and host of the Bradcast (that you hear every day here at Radio or Not!).
I’ll be back tomorrow with more news, info and snark as GottaLaff returns, radio or not!
