US Supreme Court expedites Louisiana map ruling before midterms

The Supreme Court's decision to expedite the redrawing of Louisiana's congressional maps before the midterm elections has drawn sharp criticism from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who accused the majority of departing from usual procedures and intervening in the electoral process.

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The date scheduled for the beginning of early voting in the primary election has already passed. The congressional districting map enacted by the legislature has been held to be unconstitutional, and the general election will be held in just six months.

In her dissent, Jackson argued that the Court's choice to issue its judgment immediately, rather than adhering to the standard 32-day waiting period, appeared partisan and unduly influenced the implementation of the law.

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To avoid the appearance of partiality here, we could, as per usual, opt to stay on the sidelines and take no position by applying our default procedures. But, today, the Court chooses the opposite. Not content to have decided the law, it now takes steps to influence its implementation.

Justice Samuel Alito, joined by fellow conservatives, forcefully rejected Jackson's claims, labeling them "baseless and insulting" and defending the Court's actions as principled, asserting that the dissent misunderstood the Court's adherence to its own rules and the need for timely action in this specific case.

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The Court’s decision to buck our usual practice under Rule 45.3 and issue the judgment forthwith is tantamount to an approval of Louisiana’s rush to pause the ongoing election in order to pass a new map.