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Virginia Supreme Court

All articles tagged with #virginia supreme court

Defending Multiracial Democracy as Courts Redraw Congressional Maps
politics17 days ago

Defending Multiracial Democracy as Courts Redraw Congressional Maps

The piece argues that the Supreme Court’s Callais decision and Virginia’s ruling invalidating an anti‑gerrymandering amendment threaten minority representation and could cost Democrats seats in the 120th Congress. With federal voting-rights legislation unlikely before 2029, the author outlines a radical constitutional workaround: Congress could judge elections and potentially refuse to seat state delegations to enforce a republican form of government under the Guarantee Clause, effectively sidestepping the courts but risking a legitimacy crisis. Republicans may retaliate by challenging blue-state delegations, so Democrats should have a ready plan to defend multiracial democracy.

Virginia Democrats’ gambit to pull the Supreme Court into a state gerrymander backfires for them
politics21 days ago

Virginia Democrats’ gambit to pull the Supreme Court into a state gerrymander backfires for them

Virginia Democrats’ bid to drag the US Supreme Court into a Virginia gerrymandering dispute would shift control of state election law from Virginia’s courts to a federal bench with a Republican tilt, risking worse, more partisan redistricting; the piece argues the independent state legislature doctrine is flawed, Moore v. Harper’s limits are misapplied, and empowering the Court would be a reckless expansion of federal power over state elections.

Virginia Supreme Court upholds teacher's right to refuse using student's chosen pronouns
legal2 years ago

Virginia Supreme Court upholds teacher's right to refuse using student's chosen pronouns

Virginia's Supreme Court has revived a lawsuit by a teacher who was fired for refusing to use the pronouns of a transgender student, claiming it violated his religious liberties and free-speech rights. The 4-3 decision overturns a lower court ruling and sends the case back for trial. The Alliance Defending Freedom, representing the teacher, hailed the ruling as a "sweeping victory" for free speech and religious rights, while critics argue it gives teachers a right to discriminate. The ruling has drawn attention for pitting transgender rights against religious freedom, and dissenting justices expressed concern about the broadness of the decision.