New Episode: Non-Cake Physical Object
The latest episode of the Divided Argument podcast is up:
We're back to break down a month's worth of shadow docket activity -- three recent summary reversals, plus the stay in the Texas gerrymandering case (Abbott v. LULAC). We also discuss the launch of the SCOTUSblog "interim docket blog."
As always, please feel free to discuss in the comments!
I'm a non lawyer with a limited understanding of the complexities of election law.
I recently reread the majority opinion in Rucho. There didn't seem to be any limiting principle in the majority opinion. Based on Rucho and the court's instructions in Abbott that the judiciary needs to defer to the good faith intent of the legislature, that partisan gerrymandering is great, and (I guess) that a new evergreen interpretation of Purcell prevents federal courts from rejecting state legislative actions related to elections, would anything at the federal level prevent:
(a) A state from creating a gerrymandered map that has voters end up in no district at all?
(b) A state from creating non contiguous districts (for example, in IL, create a district that combines more Republican leaning Chicago suburban voters with a bunch of downstate Republican voters?
(c) Create districts with significant differences in the population of the districts?