The US Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s bid to give states more electoral power

The United States Supreme Court ruled Tuesday against giving state legislatures the power to redraw electoral districts and approve new electoral maps, the so-called “independent state theory” of former President Donald Trump’s supporters.

In particular, the Supreme Court confirmed six votes to three a decision by North Carolina’s highest court, which overturned a statewide voter redistricting.

A controversial legal theory, espoused by Trump supporters, suggests that state legislators have virtually absolute power in election matters, which neither the state judiciary nor the territorial constitution can limit, something that Joe Biden’s administration differs from.

President of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, The conservative warned that state courts do not have a “free hand” to reject norms approved by the territory’s legislators, but he also pointed out that the Constitution does not “insulate” these congresses from possible “judicial reviews” that may be undertaken, reports CNN.

The judgment thus indicates a red line about the margin with which states with a Republican majority can move when it comes to questioning election regulations or even the development of future processes, given that Trump himself has denounced without evidence that he was the victim of fraud in the 2020 election in which he was defeated.

Former President Barack Obama warned that the theory, now rejected by the Supreme Court, would serve to “dismantle” counterweight system in the United States. “The verdict rejects a far-right theory that threatens our democracy and makes clear that the courts can continue to defend the rights of voters in North Carolina and any other state,” he stressed in a statement.