A new episode of the Insider podcast is now out. This week, Doug Jones, former U.S. Senator from Alabama and current candidate for the state’s governor, joins Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance to break down redistricting efforts across the country, and the major recent Supreme Court decisions on gerrymandering and the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act. They also discuss a federal judge’s decision to dismiss the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia on grounds of vindictive prosecution and what it means for similar cases involving famous defendants like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCER
Jake Kaplan is the Supervising Producer of the Stay Tuned with Preet and Insider podcasts.
Is your voting power being diluted by gerrymandering?
On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance are joined by former U.S. Senator Doug Jones to examine the growing battle over congressional map redistricting and what it could mean for voters across the country.
At the center of the fight is a recent Supreme Court ruling in Callais, striking down Louisiana’s congressional map as an unconstitutional gerrymander because it created an additional majority-minority district. The Court then went a step further, allowing Alabama to move forward with a congressional map that a federal district court found was designed to dilute the power of Black voters. But just this morning, a panel of federal judges ruled once again that Alabama’s preferred map intentionally discriminates against Black voters.
On the podcast, Jones explains why the Alabama case could become a major test of whether courts are still willing to stop states from weakening minority voting power: “The states of the old Confederacy, for lack of a better term, will still do everything that they can to gerrymander congressional districts…to deny minority populations any real voting power.”
Might these redistricting efforts backfire on Republicans? Jones, who is running for governor of Alabama as a Democrat, points to a surge in Democratic turnout during the state’s recent primaries as evidence that threats to voting rights are motivating voters to participate: “People are beginning to see their vote makes a difference, their vote is in jeopardy, and that they’re going to come out.”
Jones predicts that the Alabama case will soon head back to the Supreme Court.
Listen to the episode and comment below with your thoughts and questions. Thank you for being a member of our community here on Substack. If you’re not yet a paying subscriber, you can now listen to a free excerpt from the show. For access to the full analysis, upgrade your subscription.
Stay Informed,
Jake
