The Supreme Court's conservative justices forced thousands in Wisconsin to choose between their right to vote and risking their health. And as November inches closer, the court may be the ultimate arbiter of what accommodations to voting are allowed.
The U.S. Supreme Court is no stranger to controversy, but it still gets higher marks in public opinion polls than the other branches of government. Now though, for the first time in memory, the court is not just split along ideological lines, but along political lines as well: All the conservatives are Republican appointees, all the liberals Democratic appointees.
The TV footage of people wearing masks waiting for hours to vote at the very few precincts that were open amid the pandemic was, to say the least, not a good look. Health officials in Milwaukee have since identified six voters and one poll worker who appear to have contracted the virus during the election.The majority opinion was unsigned, so no one knows who the principal author was. But we do know some things.
In fact, the word"pandemic" appears not once in the court's unsigned opinion. Rather, the majority sought to portray the issue before the court as a"narrow, technical question." The majority said the lower court had overstepped the Supreme Court's established rule that courts should"ordinarilyThe dissenters replied that the court's treatment of the current situation as ordinary"boggles the mind.
Chief Justice Roberts has, on some occasions tried to bridge the two wings of the court, in a couple of big cases siding with the court's liberals, or sometimes trying to fashion a compromise. But as Hasen observes,"there really is not any case I can think of involving elections where Roberts has forged a larger consensus."
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
7 Coronavirus Cases May Have Been Caused By Wisconsin's In-Person ElectionsThe election sparked a partisan debate that included the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read more »
7 Coronavirus Cases May Have Been Caused By Wisconsin's In-Person Elections7 people in Wisconsin are believed to have contracted the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wisconsin's in-person elections by MattRyanPerez
Read more »
Virtual Justice: Supreme Court Allows Phone ArgumentsIt took a pandemic for the U.S. Supreme Court to agree to arguments over the phone, with live audio available to the world for the first time. Host ralphDrussoAP talks to jessicagresko and shermancourt about what this development means for the court.
Read more »
Poll Finds 67% of Voters Support Mail-In Ballots for November ElectionsAs states explore ways to expand voting options amid the coronavirus outbreak, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds that a majority of voters support changing election law so that everyone can vote by mail.
Read more »
Presidential debate planning proceeds despite virus worriesWASHINGTON (AP) — Preparations for the 2020 general election debates are proceeding “according to schedule” despite the coronavirus outbreak. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential...
Read more »