The Supreme Court and the 2022 Elections
The Supreme Court had more influence over the 2022 election than the Supreme Court normally plays in an election for several reasons. First, on June 24, 2022 the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v Jackson. Five of the justices ruled to overturn precedents that protected abortion rights set in Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey. This ruling sparked protest throughout the US and appeared to help improve Democrats electoral prospects. This case showed that the Supreme Court can sometimes be a catalyst that affects public opinion and public policy.
The other main reason the Supreme Court had more influence over the 2022 election than normal is because the 2022 election was the first election under new district lines due to redistricting. The Supreme Court would be asked if several states new congressional and state legislative maps were constitutional. In February, the Supreme Court blocked a lower court ruling that Alabama’s congressional map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. It would later block lower court rulings declaring congressional maps in Georgia, Louisiana, and Ohio unconstitutional.
Instructors: click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download: The Supreme Court and the 2022 Elections
Videos
News Articles
The Supreme Court Lost Republicans the Midterms
Vox
11/10/2022
Will Dobbs Energize Democrats?
Fox News
07/02/2022
Women Powered Democrats in the 2018 Election. Will They Again in 2022?
Washington Post
10/8/2022
Voters in Kansas Decide to Keep Abortion Legal in the State, Rejecting an Amendment
NPR
08/03/2022
How Did Redistricting Impact the 2022 Midterms
NewsNation
11/15/2022
The Midterms are About Rigged Maps and Republican Judges
Slate
11/02/2022
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/11/the-midterms-are-about-courts-rigging-the-outcome.html
Maps in Four States Were Ruled Illegal Gerrymanders. They’re Being Used Anyway
New York Times
08/08/2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/us/elections/gerrymandering-maps-elections-republicans.html?
Gerrymandering is Normal
National Review
11/16/2021
https://www.nationalreview.com/the-tuesday/gerrymandering-is-normal/
Assessments
Debate: How involved should federal courts be when it comes to gerrymandering?
Should the Supreme Court consider public opinion when ruling on cases?
Poll: Did the decision in Dobbs v Jackson affect how you voted in 2022?
Do you think the Supreme Court was right to say the federal courts did not have the power to prevent partisan gerrymanders?
Short Answer: How does the Court determine a racial gerrymander has occurred?
