Supreme Court Rejected A Controversial Theory

The court left in place a significant check on state lawmakers authority over how federal elections in their states are conducted and the drawing of congressional maps.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected a controversial theory.

Justices ruled that the ‘independent state legislative theory’ is inconsistent with the Constitution. It aimed to impose new limits on state courts reviewing certain election-related issues and was presented by Republicans in North Carolina fighting for a congressional district map that would strongly favor their candidates.

With the disapproval, the court left in place a significant check on state lawmakers authority over how federal elections in their states are conducted and the drawing of congressional maps.

The decision marks a major victory for voting rights advocates who feared that if approved, the ‘independent legislative theory’ would harm election systems and allow state legislatures to operate unchecked when setting federal election rules and drawing voting lines.