See below for reactions by Virginia Democrats to today’s 6-3 Supreme Court decision against “a fringe legal theory that observers said posed a considerable threat to democracy, ruling that state courts have the authority to weigh in on disputes over federal election rules.” As Rep. Jennifer McClellan explains:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision protects the integrity of our electoral process and preserves a proper system of checks-and-balances on state’s roles in regulating federal elections. The right-wing ISL theory is a dangerous fringe perspective that would upend American elections and shatter our checks-and-balances that exist to protect our democracy.
“The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 opinion, ruled in favor of North Carolina voters and declined to invoke the ISL theory, ensuring state legislatures can be checked by governors, state courts, and citizen-led ballot measures. As a key witness in Golden Bethune-Hill v. Virginia House of Delegates, brought by Virginia voters to challenge our Commonwealth’s state legislative maps from the 2011 redistricting session, I know how critically important such action can be to ensure free and fair elections. Today’s decision is a major victory for voting rights in our nation.
“While in the Virginia General Assembly, I championed passage of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia to curb voter intimidation or discrimination and empower the Attorney General or affected individuals to initiate civil action in court if their voting protections are violated. If the Supreme Court had supported ISL theory, it would have undermined these safeguards in Virginia and undone our progress as the first Southern state with a state-level Voting Rights Act.
“In order for our democratic processes to truly be democratic, we must maintain the necessary protections to curb hyper-partisan attempts to undermine the impartiality of our elections. Today, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of democracy and rejected this extreme constitutional perspective.”
Of course, that this bizarre/extreme case got to the Supreme Court in the first place, along with the disturbing fact that this wasn’t a unanimous 9-0 decision against a “dangerous fringe perspective,” means that we shouldn’t let our guard down for one minute. To the contrary, we desperately need to do several things: 1) make sure we don’t lose the White House for many years to come, or at least until the Republican Party returns to some form of sanity and moderation (this could take decades, if ever); 2) do everything we can for Democrats to take back the U.S. House and hold the U.S. Senate; 3) make sure we ALSO elect Democrats at the state and local levels, which means that we must vote “blue” in *every single election*, up and down the ballot. Finally, as soon as we’re able to do so, we need to reform the Supreme Court in a variety of ways, including possibly expanding it, imposing age limits and a strict code of ethics, etc. Only then will our democracy be in a position of semi-reasonable security, or at least out of immediate danger, as it is now…
America’s voters and our Democracy won a decisive victory as the Supreme Court rejected the extreme MAGA-backed independent legislature scheme.
This win is a tribute to @EricHolder and advocates in Alabama, North Carolina and across America who fight on behalf of ALL voters! -NP
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) June 27, 2023
Today those who support democracy, fair elections and the rule of law can stand a bit taller.
Today’s ruling reaffirms the longstanding precedent that respects our constitutional system of checks and balances.
There is still much work to do to protect American democracy. pic.twitter.com/7Sr2G2pa41
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 27, 2023
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