'A requiem for American democracy': 5-4 Supreme Court vote rules partisan gerrymandering is 'beyond the reach of the federal courts'

The Supreme Court on Thursday in a 5-4 ideological split rejected limits to partisan gerrymandering, quashing an effort by advocates of political reform to rein in manipulative electoral district boundaries.

Chief justice John Roberts authored the ruling, which decided claims of partisan gerrymandering “present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts.” The ruling states that federal courts lack the authority to curb gerrymandering, and overturned a lower court decision that ordered the redraw of North Carolina’s Republican-drawn districts in time for the 2020 election.

In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that, “for the first time ever, this Court refuses to remedy a constitutional violation because it thinks the task beyond judicial capabilities."

For some, the ruling served as a reminder for why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) remains focused on confirming judges above most other legislative priorities.