Senator Tommy Tuberville calls Air Force Secretary’s criticism “propaganda”
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) responded to harsh criticism of his holds on military readiness by the Army, Navy, and Air Force Secretaries. Tuberville commented during a telephone news conference on Wednesday with the Alabama news media. “Democrats are continuing to try to shift blame for the Pentagon’s radical taxpayer-funded abortion policy by demanding that I lift my hold on military promotions, but I still stand firm in my belief that hardworking taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for travel expenses and additional time off for servicemembers and dependents choosing to get an elective abortion,” Tuberville said in a statement. “Nobody in this country voted for this policy. It is extreme. It came from the White House. It was neither authorized nor appropriated by Congress.” Tuberville said that his holds are not hurting military readiness. “I am not blocking votes,” Tuberville continued. “I am not stopping anybody from being confirmed. I am just stopping them from doing them in batches, hundreds at a time. It is one of the only ways I have of exercising oversight over the radical policies from the executive branch.” While Tuberville is being widely criticized in Washington, Sen. Tuberville insists that the people of Alabama support him. “Over the last six months, I have heard from thousands of Alabamians, including veterans, who are standing with me,” Tuberville stated. “They want our military to stay focused on its mission and stay out of politics. They know the real threat to our military is the woke policies of this administration. Under Joe Biden, we have seen the first shortfall in the history of the volunteer military. We’re down 15,000 soldiers. This year, it will be even worse. We are also down 8,000 service members because of Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate. My holds are not, and I repeat, are not affecting readiness, but Joe Biden’s woke policies and his woke appointees are hurting readiness every day.” Sen. Tuberville dismissed the recent op-ed in the Washington Post by the service secretaries as “propaganda.” “This is all propaganda, first of all,” Tuberville said when asked by a reporter. “Let me say this. I am not holding up any nominations from being approved. They can bring them one at a time to the floor. They have chosen not to do that. I have also talked to some of the nominees that come through my office through their posture hearings. They have already changed jobs. They are already doing the job. It’s just they have got interim on their name.” “There is no threat to readiness,” Tuberville continued. “The people that we really need to be worried about are the colonels, majors, and sergeants – privates. They are the ones getting ready to fight wars.” Tuberville pushed back at the Pentagon. “The people up here in the Pentagon – I don’t know what they do every day, but they are more of giving advice,” Tuberville said. “It is just a surprise to me. These are all number one Joe Biden’s civilian appointees: the Secretary of the Air Force, the Navy, the Army, and it disappoints me. Some of the language that they use because I am a United States Senator. I would never say that about them in the newspaper. This should not be played out in the newspaper. If you need to visit with me, call me or come see me. They know where I am. They have not talked with me.” Tuberville accused Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the White House of carrying out a propaganda campaign against him. “It is all propaganda that is being carried on by the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States,” Tuberville said. “Y’all got to start putting pressure on this Senator. They don’t know what pressure is, OK. I don’t feel any pressure at all, but I do have thousands and thousands of people – veterans and present military people that are supporting me. So again, I am not doing this for a blue ribbon.” “I am doing this because they have changed a policy and a law that is against the law to do it the way they have done it – through a memo,” Tuberville explained. “Let’s vote on it. If we vote on it, I will accept the consequences either way. I will take the holds off, but we are not going to do hundreds at a time. That is not going to happen.” One reporter asked Tuberville to respond to a quote from Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro accusing Tuberville’s policy on the holds as “aiding and abetting communists and other autocratic regimes around the world.” “The Secretaries give advice to the President of the United States, and that is an absurd statement about a United States Senator – somebody that has been in this country a long time,” Tuberville responded. “I believe in this country. I believe in our military. There is nobody up here any stronger for national security than I am, but it does disappoint me again, as I said earlier, that none of these secretaries have called me other than Secretary of Defense Austin. I have not talked to any of them. They haven’t shown any concern at all. They have just been pressured by the White House and the Pentagon.” Tuberville called on the Secretaries to do something about the crisis on the southern border. “They are talking about terrorism. They need to go to the White House and tell Joe Biden, by the way, that our borders are wide open,” Tuberville stated. “We have got six million new people in this country, and we do have a bunch of terrorists that have come across the border, and we don’t even know where they are at. You want to talk about terrorism – do your job. Do your job at the border. Give advice to the President to close that border and protect the people of this country. Right now, it is wide open. We are putting the people of this country – American citizens – in
CFD Research expands their facility in Hollywood, Alabama
Last week, CFD Research Corporation held a groundbreaking ceremony for an additional facility at its Engineering Test Center in Hollywood, Alabama. The company said that the new 19,000-square-foot building will support work for ongoing contracts with the Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), and other customers. Sameer Singhal is the President and CEO of CFD Research. “Thank you to the town of Hollywood and Jackson County for welcoming us so graciously and celebrating this groundbreaking event, and thank you to the Alabama Department of Commerce for its support,” said President Singhal. The location and proximity to our other facilities has been an ideal solution and will enable us to work more efficiently and economically.” Economic developer Dr. Nicole Jones told Alabama Today, “CFD Research has grown exponentially in two years.” “The company offers highly-skilled career opportunities in manufacturing, system integration, and test and evaluation services,” Jones said. “CFD Research’s 19,000 square foot facility in Jackson County further enhances north Alabama’s role in supporting the Department of Defense and national security.” Greg Canfield is the Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “CFD Research specializes in delivering next-level technologies, services, and products that keep us all safe, and this expansion project at its Hollywood site will help the company achieve new milestones in that critical mission,” said Secretary Canfield. The building will provide more than 28 additional offices, a second-high bay, larger conference room space, and closed areas for classified meetings. This facility will expand the team’s capability to provide services, perform technology development, and enable increased test capacity. In August 2021, CFD Research opened its 13,125-square-foot test and evaluation facility on 10.4 acres in Jackson County Industrial Park in Hollywood, AL. In November of 2022, CFD Research added another 63 acres of property to the facility and an additional test stand that is four times larger than CFD Research’s previous capability to expand the company’s manufacturing, system integration, and test and evaluation services. CFD Research started with just four employees at the Testing Center when it opened in 2021. It has grown to 22 employees presently. CFB anticipates surpassing over 40 employees in the near future. US Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL05) headlined the ceremony. “It was a pleasure visiting Jackson County this week,” Rep. Strong said. “I started the day celebrating CFD Research’s expansion at the industrial park in Hollywood.” State Senator Steve Livingston, Scottsboro Mayor Jim McCamy, and Nathan Lee, President of the Jackson County Economic Development Authority, were also in attendance. CFD Research Corporation specializes in engineering simulations, advanced prototypes, and innovative designs for aerospace, defense, life sciences, materials, energy, and other industries. CFD Research uses its software and experimental capabilities to develop new hardware concepts, innovative designs, and superior solutions for its customers with lower risk, reduced costs, and less time. CFD Research has grown steadily and profitably every year since its inception in 1987. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Stay on marijuana licenses extended again
On Wednesday, lawyers representing all the litigants in the ongoing medical marijuana license legal saga attended a hearing in Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson’s courtroom. Anderson, with the agreement of all parties involved, extended his temporary restraining order (TRO) on issuing medical cannabis licenses until at least the next scheduled meeting of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC). After much discussion and a couple of conferences between the various attorneys involved in a back room outside of open court, all the counsels for the parties involved agreed to a continuation of the TRO. “The parties are in agreement to continue the TRO until the Commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting,” an attorney for the AMCC said. “There will be a meeting and probably a series of meetings to discuss what is going to happen in that meeting.” Judge Anderson said, “There needs to be four days to comply with the agreement.” The Commission’s attorneys agreed that the agenda for that future meeting should be released four days before the meeting. The AMCC has issued its own stay on the issuance of the medical marijuana grower, processor, transporter, dispensary, laboratory, and integrated facility licenses in acknowledgment of the pending litigation. Attorneys for Redbud made a motion to allow the failed marijuana applicant to join the ongoing plaintiff’s lawsuit. Redbud had intended to apply for a medical marijuana license but could not figure out how to make the AMCC’s website upload their application. The Redbud group was represented by Albert “Bert” Jordan of the Birmingham law firm of Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff, & Brandt in Wednesday’s hearing. Jordan explained that his clients tried to upload their application but was prevented by the AMCC’s limit on uploading files to no more than ten megabytes of data. “The ten-megabyte limit, it is really strange,” Jordan said. Jordan said that other applicants went to the AMCC and were given a workaround method of getting their applications submitted. “If we had known there was a workaround,” Redbud would have done it and gotten their application in Jordan claimed. “We are asking you to open the door,” for consideration of Redbud’s application, Jordan continued. “I felt like the facts showed that Redbud did not attempt to file,” Anderson said. “The relief that you are asking for is too late. The horse is already out of the barn.” Mark Wilkerson is representing the AMCC. An attorney for the AMCC said that Redbud’s people “were in the portal for less than 15 minutes total and none at all on the day that the application was due.” “Your honor should absolutely deny this motion,” the AMCC’s counsel added. “We did not wait too long. We exercised due diligence,” Jordan said. Jordan claimed that the AMCC allowed other applicants to add to their applications and make changes after December 31. Anderson said he would rule on Redbud’s motion sometime next week. Another applicant told Alabama Today that they made their application fit the 10-megabyte limit by submitting less information than they would have liked to have submitted. If they had known that the AMCC had allowed a workaround method to submit more information in their application, they would have done so. Their competitor, who was allowed to use the workaround, was able to submit more information with their application and then scored just ahead of them when the AMCC scored the applications. Other applicants whose applications were not accepted by the AMCC by the deadline also brought legal action but were allowed to have their applications considered by the AMCC because the court felt that they made a reasonable effort to comply with the AMCC’s demands. Redbud appealed their decision to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. The attorney for Verona asked that they not be consolidated with the other lawsuits. “We object to being consolidated,” their attorney said. “My inclination would be to do that with all of them except Verona,” Judge Anderson said. Verona sought and was awarded an integrated license application by the AMMCC in a meeting in June. The AMCC then vacated those awards and made new awards in August. Verona was the only one of the five business entities who were awarded integrator licenses in June who were not also awarded a license in the August awards. Anderson asked, “Is there any objection from all the other cases to be consolidated?” “No sir,” the other plaintiffs’ attorneys responded. A Mobile attorney asked that his client, who had applied for a dispensary license, be added to the growing number of plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “The cutoff for interventions was August 23,” Judge Anderson said. “My order had a cutoff date.” There is a calendar meeting of the AMCC on September 19r 19. The TRO is extended through at least that date. At some point in the future, the AMCC will do the license awards for a third time, under our current understanding of this ongoing Alabama legal drama. In this next meeting, the AMCC will be instructed by the court to comply with the Alabama open meetings statute, which the plaintiffs claim the Commission did not do in its previous awards meetings. The AMCC is limited in the number of licenses it can award by the 2021 statute legalizing medical marijuana in Alabama. That statute created the AMCC and tasked it with writing the rules for issuing medical marijuana licenses in the state of Alabama and then regulating the new industry. The AMCC has been restrained by the court from issuing any licenses for now. No one may grow or even possess seeds to lawfully grow marijuana in the state of Alabama until those licenses are issued. All efforts to get the medical cannabis industry up and running in Alabama are effectively on hold while the TRO remains in place. Any Alabamian with a documented medical need that cannabis might alleviate will have to wait until 2024 to purchase Alabama medical cannabis products legally. Homegrown or individual possession of any cannabis plants or plant material outside of the AMCC’s licensees will remain illegal in the state of Alabama even after medical cannabis is legalized in the form of Alabama.
Gov. Kay Ivey urges Alabamians to be prepared for natural disasters
On Tuesday, Governor Kay Ivey urged all Alabamians to have a plan for when disaster strikes. September is “National Preparedness Month.” “Alabama is no stranger to the unpredictable and sometimes harmful effects of Mother Nature,” said Gov. Ivey. “While we cannot stop a hurricane, tornado or flash flood, we can take steps to lessen their impact on our lives and better protect ourselves and our loved ones. “National Preparedness Month is a good time to focus on making your personal plan to be ready in the event of a disaster, including having access to timely information, the ability to communicate with family and loved ones, and also have a Go-Kit with all the essentials you need if you are cut off from basic services,” Ivey said. “I encourage everyone to begin their planning well before an emergency strikes.” Jeff Smitherman is the Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director. “National Preparedness Month is an opportunity to bring awareness on taking action in making a plan by updating and gathering what you need to keep your family safe during a disaster and creating a more resilient community,” said Director Smitherman. “With the leadership and support of Governor Ivey, Alabama held its first inaugural Resilience Council meeting last week. The council is a platform for local, state, federal, and private partners to discuss ways to better prepare Alabama’s communities to withstand events that result in harmful impacts to its citizens.” The Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommend every home have a basic emergency Go-Kit including the following: · Water and non-perishable food to last for several days · Cell phone with weather/news apps as well as extra cell phone battery or charger · Battery-powered or hand-crank radio capable of receiving NOAA Weather Radio alerts as well as local news broadcasts · Flashlight with extra batteries · A first aid kit · Prescription medications and glasses · Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person Equally important, Alabamians should develop and coordinate contingency plans with family and close-by friends if there is a need to evacuate and seek shelter. “While any time before a disaster is a good time to make plans,” Governor Ivey added, “I recommend all Alabamians prepare for emergencies now to reduce the harm they and their families could face down the road. Plan to be ready!” The Governor has created the Alabama Resiliency Council to make sure that state and local governments are ready for when disaster strikes. “Today, I kicked off the inaugural meeting of the Alabama Resilience Council,” Gov. Ivey said on Twitter. “I established this council to help us better prepare for when disaster strikes so we can preserve lives, protect jobs, and ensure our state’s future remains bright.” The Alabama Resilience Council was created by Gov. Ivey when she signed Executive Order 736. This action is a key part of the Ivey Administration’s effort to make Alabama the most resilient state in the nation by protecting the lives, property, and economic well-being of Alabamians against possible hazards, both natural and man-made. For additional information on planning for emergencies, visit www.ready.gov and https://ema.alabama.gov. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth announces opening of applications for $179 million in grant open for public schools
Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth announced on Tuesday that the application process for a new $179 million grant program for K-12 public schools across the state officially opened. The Alabama K-12 Capital Grant Program, which was created by the Legislature during its 2023 regular session, allows public schools to apply for one-time funding for needed capital projects, deferred maintenance, technology improvements, school security enhancements, or existing debt service. The lieutenant governor is statutorily responsible for creating, administering, and overseeing the application process. “This grant program offers a unique and historic opportunity to address longstanding needs within our local schools across the state,” Ainsworth said. “Our goal is to ensure that the funding is used to improve the educational experience for students, teachers, and parents alike.” Applications for funding must be submitted by the superintendents of local systems making the requests, and supporting documents, such as budgets, plans of action, photos, contracts, financial records, and others, will be required. In most cases, systems will be required to provide matching funds, the amount of which is calculated based on a sliding scale formula specific to the school potentially receiving a grant. The formula considers variables that include the population of the school, the local funds available, and the number of students receiving free or reduced lunches. All applications will be submitted through an online portal, the web address of which was provided to superintendents via email. Grant requests may be submitted at any point during the next 45 days, but the deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on Friday, October 20, 2023. Once the process is complete and all applications have been thoroughly reviewed, approved projects will be announced before the end of the calendar year.
Paul DeMarco: Labor Day traditional kick-off to election season in Alabama
Labor Day is usually the kick-off for election season in Alabama, even with an election many months away. While we are over a year away from the United States presidential contest in November of 2024, Alabama voters should get ready for the marathon run leading up to the big day. Because Alabama is one of the early primary states in the Nation, there will be a lot of visits by the contenders to the White House that come to the state between now and next Spring when the election is held on March 5, 2024 There is also talk of a Republican Party Presidential Primary Debate that may be held in Alabama in October. If the event happens, the eyes of the Nation will be on our state as candidates make their case to win the GOP nomination. This will further cement Alabama’s vital role in picking the next president as well. The real campaigns will get up and going soon, with qualifying in November ends for all state and federal offices in Alabama. There will be a number of offices up for grabs, from Congressional Representatives to appellate, circuit, and district court judges. Finally, the state’s Congressional maps, which were re-drawn by the Alabama legislature, are still in flux and will continue to be litigated in federal court. These maps could include another review visit back up to the United States Supreme Court. There could be new district lines that will upset the apple cart and could pit incumbent congressmen against each other depending on what the courts decide. So get ready for a busy political season in Alabama during the coming months. Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found at @Paul_DeMarco on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mitch McConnell tries to reassure colleagues about his health, vows to serve out term as Senate GOP leader
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declared again Wednesday that he plans to finish his term as leader despite freezing up at two news conferences over the summer, brushing off questions about his health as he sought to reassure colleagues he’s still up to the job. At a weekly, closed-door lunch with fellow GOP senators on Wednesday, McConnell pointed to the statement released a day earlier by attending physician Brian P. Monahan about his health. He said he was ready to move forward with the Senate’s busy fall agenda. Monahan’s statement, released by McConnell’s office, said there was no evidence that the 81-year-old McConnell had a stroke or was suffering from a seizure disorder after he froze up and appeared unable to speak for 20-30 seconds at two different news conferences. The episodes came after the GOP leader fell and suffered from a concussion earlier this year. “I’m going to finish my term as leader, and I’m going to finish my Senate term,” McConnell told reporters, dismissing questions and requests for more detail about his medical condition. “I have nothing to add” to Monahan’s statement, he said. McConnell’s words to the press and his colleagues were his latest efforts to assuage growing concerns about his health and silence questions about whether he can continue to lead his party in the Senate. The famously private Kentucky senator has faced some criticism from colleagues for remaining quiet about the incidents and his health, which has visibly declined since the concussion. Behind closed doors, McConnell told other Republicans that his health issues are linked to his concussion. He believes that is a “plausible answer” to the questions, Texas Sen. John Cornyn said. Cornyn said McConnell “hasn’t missed a step” in terms of his cognitive abilities or ability to lead. But “physically, it’s been tougher.” “He was more transparent, which I’m glad he did,” Cornyn said of McConnell’s comments at the private lunch. “This is not his style. But I don’t think keeping things close to the vest serves his interests, and it created a lot of speculation. So I think this is a positive development.” Other Republican senators also said they were satisfied with McConnell’s explanation for the two incidents, the first in Washington in July just before the August recess and the second in Kentucky last week. “I feel really good; I’m behind Mitch, and let’s move forward,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said McConnell has ”broad support, and I think that’s known by the majority of the conference.” North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, who had called for more transparency from McConnell, said the leader’s remarks were “a strong message. It was confident on his part. It was very direct.” Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said that as part of his remarks to the GOP conference, McConnell touted that he’d raised $49 million for Republican Senate candidates in August. “He convinced me” of his ability to lead, Tuberville said. Still, Tuberville said the circumstances could change. “I don’t think there will be anything else said about it unless there’s another incident,” Tuberville said. “And that’s what we’re hoping.” The letter from Monahan that McConnell released Tuesday said there is “no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.” TIA is an acronym for a transient ischemic attack, a brief stroke. But there was no elaboration as to what did cause McConnell’s episodes. The doctor said the assessments entailed several medical evaluations including a brain MRI scan and “consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment.” “There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall,” Monahan said. Even though the majority of GOP senators have supported McConnell, some have raised questions. Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a doctor, and McConnell’s Kentucky colleague, has questioned whether the episodes were really caused by dehydration, as McConnell’s aides and the Capitol doctor have implied. After attending the lunch, Paul said he had no comment. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he’s concerned about the leader’s health, adding that his health issues could undermine Republican arguments that President Joe Biden, 80, is too old for another term in office. “I mean, if you’re concerned about the president’s ability to do his job, and I am, and a lot of Republicans say they are, then you’ve got to be concerned when it’s somebody from your own party,” Hawley said. The top potential successors to McConnell as leader — Cornyn, South Dakota Sen. John Thune and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso — have stood by him. “He was very strong, sharp in the lunch today,” said Thune, the No. 2 Republican leader. “He talked a lot about not just (his health) but the other issues we’re dealing with here in the Senate. I think everybody left feeling very good about where he’s at.” First elected to the Senate in 1984 and as leader in 2007, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate party leader in January. He would have to run again for leader after next year’s elections, and his next reelection to the Senate would be in 2026. McConnell will be a central figure as Congress returns from an extended summer break to a flurry of activity, most notably the need to approve funding to prevent any interruption in federal operations by Sept. 30, which is the end of the fiscal year. Some House Republicans are willing to shut down the government at the end of the month if they are unable to enact steep spending restrictions that go beyond the agreement Biden reached with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this summer. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Legal fights over voting districts could play role in control of Congress for 2024
Democrats got a potential boost for the 2024 congressional elections as courts in Alabama and Florida ruled recently that Republican-led legislatures had unfairly diluted the voting power of Black residents. But those cases are just two of about a dozen that could carry big consequences as Republicans campaign to hold onto their slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Another trial alleging racial violations in voting districts got underway Tuesday in Georgia, where Democrats also hope to make gains while voting rights advocates in Ohio decided to drop a legal challenge to that state’s congressional districts — providing a bit of good news for Republicans. Legal challenges to congressional districts also are ongoing in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. And new districts seem likely in New York and North Carolina, based on previous court actions. Though much remains to be settled, there’s a good chance congressional districts will be changing in numerous states. It’s likely that “a significant number of voters will be voting for a different person than they voted for in 2022,” said Doug Spencer, an election law professor at the University of Colorado who manages the All About Redistricting website. Republicans currently hold a 222-212 majority in the U.S. House, with one vacancy in a previously Democratic-held seat. Boundaries for the nation’s House districts were redrawn in all states before the 2022 election to account for population changes noted in the 2020 census. In some states, majority party lawmakers in charge of redistricting manipulated lines to give an edge to their party’s candidates — a tactic known as gerrymandering. That triggered lawsuits, which can take years to resolve. The court battle in Alabama, for example, already has lasted about two years since the legislature approved U.S. House districts that resulted in six Republicans and just one Democrat, who is Black, winning election in 2022. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s finding that the map likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act by failing to provide Black residents — who comprise 27% of the state’s population — an opportunity to elect their preferred candidates in two districts. Alabama lawmakers responded in July by passing a revised map that maintained only one majority-Black district but boosted the percentage of Black voters in a second district from about 30% to almost 40%. A federal judicial panel on Tuesday decided that wasn’t good enough. But Republican Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office said it will again ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review that decision. Ongoing lawsuits in Georgia and Louisiana are using similar arguments to push for additional districts where Black voters could have more power. Democrats stand to gain because a majority of Black residents tend to vote for Democrats instead of Republicans. A Florida redistricting case decided Saturday by a state judge also involved race, though it relied on provisions in the state constitution instead of the Voting Rights Act. That judge said the U.S. House map enacted by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis diminished Black voters’ ability to elect their candidate of choice in northern Florida. The judge directed Florida lawmakers to draw a new congressional map — a ruling that is likely to be appealed before it’s carried out. The litigation in southern states is “more of a racial representation issue than it is a political representation issue,” said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida who specializes in elections and redistricting. “But we can’t escape the political consequences, because we have a very closely balanced House of Representatives at the moment.” Though Democrats stand to gain from court challenges in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana, Republicans appear poised to pick up seats in North Carolina, which also has experienced a series of legal twists. North Carolina currently is represented in Congress by seven Democrats and seven Republicans after the state Supreme Court — under a Democratic majority — struck down the Republican legislature’s map as an illegal partisan gerrymander and instead allowed a court-drawn map to be used in the 2022 election. While that case was on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, voters elected a Republican majority to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Those judges in April reversed the previous ruling and declared there was no constitutional prohibition on partisan gerrymandering. The state’s GOP-led legislature is expected to pass new districts that favor their candidates before the 2024 election. A similar reversal could benefit Democrats in New York, where a state appeals court in July ordered an independent redistricting commission to start work on a new set of U.S. House districts that could be used in the 2024 election. The New York Commission had failed to reach a consensus before the 2022 election, leading to maps drawn by the Democratic-led legislature that were struck down as an unconstitutional gerrymander and replaced with court-approved maps. Republicans fared better under those maps, picking up several suburban New York City seats that could be put back into play if the districts are redrawn again. Political observers also had been keeping an eye on Ohio, where the state Supreme Court previously ruled that Republican-drawn maps were unconstitutional. Despite that, those districts were allowed to be used in the 2022 election, and Republicans won 10 of the state’s 15 U.S. House seats. The U.S. Supreme Court in June ordered the state court to take another look at the case. But voting rights groups on Tuesday told the state court that they are willing to accept the current districts in order to avoid “the continued turmoil brought about by cycles of redrawn maps and ensuing litigation.” Though lawsuits have become common after each decennial redistricting, they can lead to confusion among voters if congressional districts get changed after only a few years. “It does undermine a little bit the theory of representative democracy if you don’t even know who represents you election to election,” Spencer said. “It’s another reason why these redistricting games are so problematic.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
