Supreme Court weighs in on voting rights

+ Japan's 'tree burials' show religious rituals' versatility US Edition - Today's top story: Supreme Court weighs voting rights in a pivotal Arizona case [View in browser]( US Edition | 9 June 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Supreme Court season is nearly over, meaning its most controversial rulings are coming any day now. One highly anticipated and potentially far-reaching case is Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, a challenge to two Arizona laws that limit where and how residents can vote. Arizona Republicans said the restrictions were meant to ensure “election integrity.” But a state appeals court last year disagreed, finding the rules targeted minority voters and poor people. Political scientists Cornell William Clayton and Michael Ritter explain why the justices’ ruling will matter well beyond Arizona: It may [decide the fate of 47 states’ restrictive new voting laws](. Also today: - [Peru’s petrified trees hold secrets to South America’s primeval past]( - [Emergency alerts are losing their potency as phones fill up with notifications]( - [What else Biden can do to pressure Putin over bad behavior]( Catesby Holmes International Editor | Politics Editor The Maricopa County Election Department counts ballots in Phoenix on Nov. 5, 2020. Arizona’s election laws are the subject of a pending Supreme Court decision. Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images [Supreme Court weighs voting rights in a pivotal Arizona case]( Cornell William Clayton, Washington State University; Michael Ritter, Washington State University In Brnovich v. DNC, the court will decide whether two Arizona rules unfairly hurt poor, minority and rural voters. The ruling could determine the fate of many states' restrictive new voting laws. Environment + Energy - [A volcanic eruption 39 million years ago buried a forest in Peru – now the petrified trees are revealing South America’s primeval history]( Deborah Woodcock, Clark University; Herb Meyer, National Park Service Using remnants of fossilized trees, scientists and an artist figured out what the forest looked like long before humans or the Andes mountains existed. Politics + Society - [Protesters marching in Elizabeth City, N.C., over Andrew Brown’s killing are walking in the footsteps of centuries of fighters for Black rights]( Melissa N. Stuckey, Elizabeth City State University Many Americans first heard of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, when protests began after Andrew Brown Jr. was killed by sheriff's deputies. But the city has a long history of fighting racial injustice. 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An expert analyzes the data. - [What the Ottoman Empire can teach us about the consequences of climate change – and how drought can uproot peoples and fuel warfare]( Andrea Duffy, Colorado State University Drought has been a threat multiplier for centuries, fueling conflict and migration from the time of the Ottoman Empire to Syria today. - [When will the first baby be born in space?]( Chris Impey, University of Arizona In the coming decades, governments and private companies will set up permanent bases on the Moon and Mars. And at some point, the first galactic baby will be born. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s graphic [A bar graph showing data of people in different demographics that are employed in STEM in comparison to the overall U.S. workforce.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451