The Supreme Court wrapped its session this week, ruling on a couple of democracy reform issues before finishing up. The court decided that states can punish so-called faithless electors who vote against the will of the voters. (Though this professor thinks the ruling doesn't start to touch on the real issues.) And there was a mixed bag of rulings on President Trump's taxes.
Partisan gerrymandering reports were in abundance this week. A congressional study found that over the last two decades, Republicans benefited way more from the practice than Democrats — but they also saw some gains. And according to liberal Center for American Progress, GOP leaders in four states have used their gerrymandered advantages to make it harder to access the ballot box.
And in Michigan (coincidentally one of the four states in the CAP study), a second Republican lawsuit trying to take down the new independent redistricting commission got slapped down fast. Maybe they'll let it go now.
And because… pandemic:
- Massachusetts became one of the first states extending its relaxed absentee ballot rules to the general election.
- A lawsuit in Kentucky is fighting to keep the state's eased vote-by-mail laws, but not the toughened-up voter ID regulations.
- Redistricting ballot measures in Arkansas and North Dakota scored enough signatures to make in on their respective ballots despite social distancing.
- South Carolina agreed to pay the postage on absentee ballots this fall, while still defending its rules to limit mail voting
- Wondering if President Trump can actually cut federal funds to the nation's schools if they don't open in the fall, like he claimed? Check out our latest fact check.
— Tristiaña Hinton