An unexpected victory at the Supreme Court

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     June 27, 2023 Hurrah. In another monumental win for voting rights, the Supreme Court today rejected a Republican effort, which had been[backed by the Federalist Society's Leonard Leo](, that aimed to give state legislatures unrestrained authority to draw new redistricting maps and pass extreme voting restrictions without review. As my colleague Ari Berman wrote, had the court ruled in favor of the "independent state legislature" theory, states would have essentially been greenlighted [to hijack elections however]( they saw fit, while destroying the country's system of checks and balances: The case had huge national implications. Voting rights experts said the Republican position would [eviscerate checks and balances]( in state government, giving state legislatures enormous power to rig state and national politics, and could have even emboldened them to attempt to overturn future election results, like Trump wanted them to do in 2020 but now with the veneer of legality. The decision could have immediate ramifications in key battleground states like Wisconsin, where a new liberal majority on the state Supreme Court could strike down the state’s [gerrymandered congressional map]( under the Wisconsin Constitution once a new justice is seated in August. The ruling follows an equally unexpected victory for voting rights earlier this month after the Supreme Court upheld the [last remaining pieces of the Voting Rights Act](. Curiously, John Roberts authored both decisions. Of course, none of this should be interpreted as an indication of an abrupt ideological shift on the high court; we still have the fates of affirmative action and student debt forgiveness left in this term—[and things don't look great](. Now, if only the court would apply the same need for [checks and balances on its own justices](. —Inae Oh Advertisement [House Store Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Supreme Court Rejects a Republican Effort to Hijack Elections]( In Moore v. Harper, the court ruled against the controversial "independent state legislature" theory. BY ARI BERMAN SPONSORED CONTENT BY DAILYCHATTER   The World in Your Inbox Introducing [DailyChatter](, the largest daily newsletter devoted to world news. Independent, nonpartisan, and fair, DailyChatter brings back the joy of discovery in keeping up with world news. All the important stories you need to know and so much more, including custom designed maps that place the news in context. [Sign up today]( and get a two-week free trial, then pay just $29.95 for a full year of 260 newsletters. [Rediscover the world, right in your inbox.]( [Trending] [What it was like to be in Russia and watch a failed coup]( BY ANONYMOUS   [Trump and DeSantis are competing to show who hates immigrants the most]( BY ISABELA DIAS   [Rail workers kept applying pressure for sick days. It's working.]( BY EAMON WHALEN   [Here's how small farmers across Africa are bringing back trees]( BY FRED PEARCE Advertisement [House Donations Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Breonna Taylor’s aunt and Jacob Blake’s dad forged a bond—and now they're building a movement]( Lacking government support, they're connecting survivors of police violence with other survivors who can help. BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS [We need your help right now] There's no sugarcoating it: We face a real budget crunch and need to raise $390,000 in online donations by June 30 to finish our fiscal year break-even. We've already cut everything we can, and there is zero wiggle room to come up short. So we're hoping that [donations from our regular newsletter readers](, from you reading this blurb right now, will come in much stronger than normal to help us get there. Please pitch in if you can right now. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755