How a Supreme Court case on federal elections could imperil democracy

Published July 12, 2022 at 10:00 AM EDT

A person waits in line to vote in the Georgia's primary election on May 24, 2022, in Atlanta. More than 1 million voters across 43 states have switched to the Republican Party over the last year, according to voter registration data analyzed by The Associated Press. (Brynn Anderson/AP File)

For two centuries, among the checks and balances protecting American democracy were state courts, governors and state legislatures — all of whom have a role to play in drawing districts and running elections.

But the Supreme Court could soon hand that power to state legislatures alone.

Today, On Point: We hear why some say that would imperil our democracy.

“If we allow for parties who control state legislatures to act in this unchecked manner, I’m not sure we can maintain a democracy anymore,” professor Bertrall Ross says.

Guests

Bertrall Ross, professor of law at the University of Virginia Law School. He writes and teaches on constitutional law, constitutional theory, election law, administrative law and statutory interpretation.

Dan Vicuña, national redistricting manager at Common Cause, a nonpartisan group that fights against gerrymandering. (@danvicuna)

Dallas Woodhouse, former executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party. Columnist for the John Locke Foundation, a conservative North Carolina think tank. Executive director of the South Carolina Policy Council. (@DallasWoodhouse)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.