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SCOTUS reviews whether S. Carolina targeted Black voters in gerrymandering case

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The United States Supreme Court is hearing from South Carolina officials Wednesday, Oct. 11, as they defend a congressional district map drawn by Republicans. The map was blocked by a panel of three federal judges who said the state unconstitutionally moved Black voters from one district to another. In the ruling, the panel said that South Carolina Republicans purposely moved 30,000 Black voters from South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District — which includes parts of Charleston — to give Republicans an edge.

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The voters were moved into South Carolina’s 6th District. Ultimately, the court ruled that the map was unconstitutional, violating both the 14th and 15th Amendments.

Now, the Supreme Court — with a six to three conservative tilt — will hear the case, Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP.

In recent years, Democrats have been more competitive in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. In the 2018 election, former House Representative Joe Cunningham won the seat in an upset, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since 1978.

In 2020, Republican Nancy Mace won the seat back in a narrow victory. After Mace’s victory and the 2020 census, Republicans sought to redraw the district map to give it a Republican tilt. To do so, the court ruled that Republicans unlawfully removed voters based on their race from the district and said Republicans deliberately set a limit of 17% of voters in the district to be Black.

Mace won reelection in 2022, and the NAACP and other civil rights groups have since challenged the map.

“This case is about black voters resisting attempts to muzzle their political voice,” said Antonio L. Ingram II, assistant counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Gerrymandering is the manipulation of a set of electoral district boundaries to marginalize a particular group of voters while increasing the influence of another group. In this case, South Carolina Republicans are accused of racially gerrymandering, an effort the lower court referred to as “bleaching” the district.

However, South Carolina Republicans say race had nothing to do with the re-mapping, insisting they solely looked at voters’ political leanings.

“As members of the General Assembly and leaders of the General Assembly, we are defending our maps because we believe they were race-neutral and that they were within the confines of the laws that have been established by the United States Supreme Court,” said Speaker of the South Carolina House Rep. Murrell Smith, R-S.C.

The Supreme Court ruling could determine which party would win the congressional seat in 2024. If the lower court’s ruling is upheld, it could help Democrats cut into the thin majority Republicans have in the House. Both parties have requested the Supreme Court issue its ruling by Jan. 1, 2024 — the start of the election year.

Not all media outlets are covering this story across the political spectrum.

According to the Straight Arrow News Media Miss™ tool, this story is a Media Miss for the right. The Media Landscape indicates that while left-leaning outlets are covering this story, fewer right-leaning outlets are reporting on the Supreme Court’s case on the constitutionality of a Republican-drawn congressional district map.

Straight Arrow News strives to provide unbiased, fact-based news in addition to offering a comprehensive look at how the media is covering stories that matter most. Learn more about the Media Miss™ tool and decide for yourself.

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THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT IS HEARING FROM SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICIALS WEDNESDAY AS THEY DEFEND A CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAP DRAWN BY REPUBLICANS THAT WAS BLOCKED BY A PANEL OF THREE FEDERAL JUDGES WHO SAID THE STATE UNCONSTITUTIONALLY  MOVED BLACK VOTERS FROM ONE DISTRICT TO ANOTHER.

 

IN THE RULING… THE PANEL SAID THAT SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS PURPOSELY MOVED THIRTY-THOUSAND*** BLACK VOTERS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT – WHICH INCLUDES PARTS OF CHARLESTON – TO GIVE REPUBLICANS AN EDGE. THE VOTERS WERE MOVED INTO THE SIXTH DISTRICT. ULTIMATELY THE COURT RULED THAT THE MAP IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, SAYING IT VIOLATES BOTH THE 14TH AND 15TH AMENDMENT.

 

NOW THE SUPREME COURT, WITH A SIX TO THREE CONSERVATIVE TILT WILL HEAR THE CASE CALLED ALEXANDER V. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP

 

THIS STORY IS NOT BEING COVERED BY ALL MEDIA…

THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS MEDIA MISS TOOL SHOWS THE MAJORITY OF OUTLETS COVERING THE STORY ARE EITHER CENTER ORIENTED OR LEFT-LEANING

RIGHT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS ARE UNDER-REPORTING THE SUPREME COURT WEIGHING IN ON THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE REPUBLICAN-DRAWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAP. OUR REAL-TIME MEDIA MISS TOOL SPOTLIGHTS WHICH STORIES RIGHT-LEANING AND LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS AREN’T COVERING SO YOU GET A COMPLETE PICTURE OF THE NEWS. THIS IS HOW THE NEWS SHOULD BE… FAIR, FACTUAL AND UNBIASED.

 

IN RECENT YEARS DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN MORE COMPETITIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.. IN THE 2018 ELECTION JOE CUNNINGHAM WON THE SEAT IN AN UPSET BECOMING THE FIRST DEMOCRAT TO WIN THE SEAT SINCE 1978… 

 

Former Congressman Joe Cunningham 

“This campaign started at a small kitchen table in west Ashley, we did not have any staffers or money, and we didnt know a thing about running for office.”

 

IN 2020 REPUBLICAN NANCY MACE WON THE SEAT BACK IN A NARROW VICTORY… AFTER MACE’S VICTORY AND THE 2020 CENSUS… REPUBLICANS SOUGHT TO REDRAW THE DISTRICT MAP TO GIVE IT A REPUBLICAN TILT… TO DO SO THE COURT RULED THAT REPUBLICANS UNLAWFULLY REMOVED VOTERS BASED ON THEIR RACE FROM THE DISTRICT… AND SAID REPUBLICANS DELIBERATELY SET A LIMIT OF SEVENTEEN PERCENT OF VOTERS IN THE DISTRICT TO BE BLACK.

 

MACE WON REELECTION IN 2022… THE NAACP AND OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS HAVE SINCE CHALLENGED THE MAP…

 

Antonio L Ingram II – Assistant Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund

“This case is about black voters resisting attempts to muzzle their political voice.”

 

THE MANIPULATION OF A SET OF ELECTORAL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES TO MARGINALIZE A CERTAIN SET OF VOTERS WHILE INCREASING INFLUENCE OF ANOTHER SET IS CALLED GERRYMANDERING… AND IN THIS CASE BEING HEARD BY THE SUPREME COURT… SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS ARE ACCUSED OF RACIALLY GERRYMANDERING… AN EFFORT THE LOWER COURT REFERRED TO AS QUOTE “BLEACHING” THE DISTRICT.

 

BUT SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS SAY.. RACE** HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RE-MAPPING… INSISTING THEY SOLELY LOOKED AT POLITICAL LEANINGS OF VOTERS…

 

State Rep. Murrell Smith (R) – Speaker of the S.C. State House

“As members of the general assembly and leaders of the general assembly we are defending our maps because we believe they were race neutral and that they were within the confines of the laws that have been established by the United States Supreme Court.”

 

THE SUPREME COURT RULING COULD DETERMINE WHICH PARTY WINS THE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN 2024… IF THE LOWER COURT’S RULING IS UPHELD… IT COULD HELP DEMOCRATS CUT INTO THE THIN MAJORITY REPUBLICANS HAVE IN THE HOUSE.  BOTH PARTIES HAVE REQUESTED THE SUPREME COURT ISSUE ITS RULING BY JANUARY FIRST OF 2024.. THE START OF THE ELECTION YEAR.