Three of the Supreme Court‘s conservative justices and all three liberal justices joined in a 6-3 decision rejecting North Carolina lawmakers’ claims that the state Supreme Court couldn’t block the legislature’s congressional district maps.
The case involved the “independent state legislature” theory, which argues the Constitution doesn’t allow state courts to restrict legislatures’ power to regulate federal elections.
The ruling means state courts can continue hearing partisan gerrymander cases, along with challenges to states’ federal election policies.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion, “The Elections Clause does not insulate state legislatures from the ordinary exercise of state judicial review.”
In another decision Tuesday, four conservative and three liberal justices also joined together to vacate the stalking conviction of a Colorado man who sent more than 1,000 online messages to musician Coles Whalen. Two conservative justices dissented.
The case included the question of when states can prosecute “true threats” not protected by the First Amendment.
Justice Elana Kagan wrote for the majority, “The State must show that the defendant consciously disregarded a substantial risk that his communications would be viewed as threatening violence.”
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Neil Gorsuch “agreed with tossing the man’s conviction but they split with the majority in its ruling about true threats more broadly,” The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld wrote.
More coverage of these decisions from The Hill:
Stay tuned for more big rulings this week ahead of the court’s summer recess.
