On June 18, 2018, the Supreme Court decided Gill v. Whitford, a case considering claims of partisan gerrymandering.
In Wisconsin’s 2010 elections, Republicans won the governorship and acquired control of the state senate. In 2011, pursuant to the state constitution’s requirement that the legislature must redraw the boundaries of its districts following each census, the Wisconsin legislature adopted a redistricting plan, Act 43, for state legislative districts. With Act 43 in effect Republicans expanded their legislative control in subsequent elections, reportedly winning 60 of 99 seats in the State Assembly with 48.6% of the statewide two-party vote in 2012, and 63 of 99 seats with 52% of the statewide two-party vote in 2014. In 2015 twelve Wisconsin voters sued in federal court, alleging that Act 43 constituted a statewide partisan gerrymander in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Defendants’ motions to dismiss and for summary judgment were denied, and following trial a divided three-judge district court panel invalidated Act 43 statewide. Act 43, the majority concluded, impermissibly burdened the representational rights of Democratic voters by impeding their ability to translate their votes into legislative seats even when Republicans were in an electoral minority. The court enjoined further use of Act 43 and ordered that a remedial redistricting plan be enacted, but the United States Supreme Court stayed that judgment pending resolution of this appeal.
By a vote of 9-0, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the district court and remanded the case for a new trial. In an opinion delivered by Chief Justice Roberts, the Court held that the plaintiffs--Wisconsin Democratic voters who rested their claim of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering on statewide injury--had failed to demonstrate Article III standing.
Chief Justice Roberts delivered the opinion of the court, in which Justices Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor, and Kagan joined. Justices Thomas and Gorsuch joined except as to Part III. Justice Kagan filed a concurring opinion in which Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, and Sotomayor joined. Justice Thomas filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, which was joined by Justice Gorsuch.
To discuss the case, we have David Casazza, Associate at Gibson Dunn.
Omnibus - The Truman Reconstruction (Entry 1343.LK1428)
In which a piano starts to fall right through the floor of a second-story dining room, and as a result, the White House gets a balcony, a bunker, and a bowling alley. Certificate #47967.
African Tech Roundup - BongoHive’s Simunza Muyangana on delivering context-relevant tech ecosystem support in Zambia
BongoHive Co-Founder and Director of Entrepreneurship, Simunza Muyangana reckons that Lusaka has what it takes to become one of Africa's choicest tech and innovation hubs. When it launched in May 2011 BongoHive was Zambia's only technology and innovation hub. Today, no small thanks to Simunza and his team's context-relevant ecosystem upliftment efforts, the early-stage startup scene in Zambia is more vibrant than its ever been.
In this throwback conversation with Andile Masuku - taped at African Angel Investor Summit 2017 - Simunza chats about BongoHive's portfolio of startup and tech programmes, workshops and events, which are all focused on making Zambia Africa’s next hotbed of innovation. Listen in to learn more about BongoHive's relatively new investment arm and why Simunza believes that the time is right for his organisation to bet on local startups.
The NewsWorthy - Tough Talk, Google’s $5B Fine & Foldable Phone (+ Shark Week Host Paul de Gelder) – Thursday, July 19th, 2018
All the news to know for Thursday, July 19th, 2018!
Today, we're talking President Trump's tougher tone on Russia, Google's $5B fine and a smartphone with a foldable-screen.
Those stories and many more in less than 10 minutes!
Then, hang out after the news for the bonus 'Three Question Thursday' interview. This week Shark Week Host Paul de Gelder shares how he survived a shark attack in 2009, why he then became a shark advocate and the celebrity he worked with for this year's 30th anniversary of Shark Week (starting Sunday).
Award-winning broadcast journalist and former TV news reporter Erica Mandy breaks it all down for you.
For more info and links to all the stories referenced in today's episode, visit https://www.theNewsWorthy.com and click Episodes.
Serious Inquiries Only - SIO148: Zerin Firoze – Ex-Muslim, Abuse Survivor, Asylum Seeker
On the show this week is another incredible person with a compelling story to tell. Zerin Firoze is an ex-Muslim atheist, currently residing in the US, but on a student Visa which may not last for much longer. She has applied for asylum but given the horrendous nature of our asylum process, she hasn't yet gotten a meeting or anything. Being an atheist in her home country has literally meant abuse and death for others. Listen as Zerin tells her story and puts a real voice behind all kinds of reasons why Trump and Republican policy hurts people. I normally leave this spot to promote my support methods, but this week let's give Zerin some love at https://www.patreon.com/ZerinFiroze Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! The last week in each month will feature listen voicemail from that month! Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email thomas@seriouspod.com
Cato Daily Podcast - The Enduring Allure of College Debt
Despite the dramatic rise in college costs relative to the benefits, college debt remains an attractive option for students and their parents. Isaac Morehouse and T.K. Coleman of Praxis discuss why they believe parents and young people still make that big bet on student loans.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Gist - A Piece of Pai
On The Gist, Girl Scouts are earning cybersecurity merit badges.
Sinclair Broadcast Group is trying to acquire Tribune Media so it can extend its television reach, but Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is throwing up roadblocks, which is odd because Sinclair is so pro-Trump. NPR’s David Folkenflik joins us to explain exactly what’s going on and why Pai is hindering the company he previously seemed to help.
In the Spiel, Vladimir Putin’s denials that he has Donald Trump in his pocket.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Phil Ferguson Show - 269 FFRF update with Andrew Seidel
Interview with Andrew Seidel of the FFRF (Freedom From Religion Foundation).
Investing skeptically: Sucky mutual funds!
Investing skeptically: Sucky mutual funds!
What Next | Daily News and Analysis - How a Top Twitter Exec Tackles Trolls
On this week’s If Then, Will Oremus is joined by guest co-host Maya Kosoff from Vanity Fair. They discuss the latest Congressional dog and pony show involving the big social media platforms. They’ll get into a controversy over whether Facebook should ban the prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of InfoWars. Meanwhile, there’s a new owner of the title “wealthiest person in modern history.” They’ll talk about who that is and what it says about our economy.
Later, Will is joined by Vijaya Gadde, a top-level executive at Twitter, in charge of their legal, public policy, and trust and safety teams. It’s her job to fight bots, trolls, and Russian agents, all while navigating the laws of more than 100 different countries in which the site operates. They’ll talk about how that uphill battle is going these days, and find out how Twitter is thinking about the balance between free speech and user safety at the highest level.
Don’t Close My Tabs
Medium: Digital Exile: How I Got Banned for Life from AirBnB
Buzzfeed: Elon Musk Has Always Been At War With The Media
Podcast production by Max Jacobs.
If Then plugs:
You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com.
If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Listen to If Then by clicking the arrow on the audio player below, or get the show via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What Next - What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future – How a Top Twitter Exec Tackles Trolls
On this week’s If Then, Will Oremus is joined by guest co-host Maya Kosoff from Vanity Fair. They discuss the latest Congressional dog and pony show involving the big social media platforms. They’ll get into a controversy over whether Facebook should ban the prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of InfoWars. Meanwhile, there’s a new owner of the title “wealthiest person in modern history.” They’ll talk about who that is and what it says about our economy.
Later, Will is joined by Vijaya Gadde, a top-level executive at Twitter, in charge of their legal, public policy, and trust and safety teams. It’s her job to fight bots, trolls, and Russian agents, all while navigating the laws of more than 100 different countries in which the site operates. They’ll talk about how that uphill battle is going these days, and find out how Twitter is thinking about the balance between free speech and user safety at the highest level.
Don’t Close My Tabs
Medium: Digital Exile: How I Got Banned for Life from AirBnB
Buzzfeed: Elon Musk Has Always Been At War With The Media
Podcast production by Max Jacobs.
If Then plugs:
You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com.
If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Listen to If Then by clicking the arrow on the audio player below, or get the show via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.