Supreme Court conservatives undermining democracy, Kagan warns

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 15:38 · Archive

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan says the conservative majority has damaged democracy through rulings on redistricting and campaign finance.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan warned on Tuesday that the bench's conservative 6-3 majority has damaged American democracy. Speaking at Catholic University's law school in Washington DC, Kagan, one of three liberal justices, said the court's rulings on redistricting and campaign finance have created a political system that 'does not work as well as it should'.

Kagan criticised the court's 2019 decision declining to police partisan gerrymandering, in which state lines are redrawn to favour specific candidates. She said 'both political parties have been engaged in a race to the bottom in terms of doing these partisan gerrymanders, effectively depriving masses of citizens of their rights to voting equality'. She argued that gerrymandering pushes politicians 'toward the extremes' and is 'making what I think is unfortunately a too polarised country even more so'.

The conservative majority struck down a major section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in April and also struck down campaign finance restrictions in June, both decisions split 6-3 along ideological lines. Kagan emphasised that voting rights are 'foundational' to a well-functioning democracy. Her remarks came two weeks before midterm elections amid ongoing battles over congressional redistricting.

How it is being reported

• Kagan says supreme court conservatives have made US political system ‘a nightmare’Liberal justice says recent decisions on redistricting and campaign finance have undermined democracy and polarized US even more US politics live – latest updates Elena Kagan criticized rulings made by the US supreme court’s conservative majority this week, arguing that its recent decisions on redistricting and campaign finance had undermined America’s democracy. “The court has kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effects of their rulings on how the political system works,” said Kagan, one of the court’s three liberal justices, during a discussion at Catholic University’s law…Guardian World · 21 Oct, 14:57
• Supreme Court justice warns conservative majority is destroying American democracy ahead of midtermsSupreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday said the court's conservative majority has undermined democracyIndependent World · 21 Oct, 09:04

In this story: Elena Kagan · Supreme Court · Catholic University · United States · Republican Party

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