Supreme Court of the United States

• But those reforms would require selective colleges to confront biases, significantly expand access, and provide students much more financial and educational support.
• Although opposition is likely, such reforms are possible and could provide the most immediate remedies.
• The report situates the current court cases within their historical legal context and considers alternatives to race-conscious admissions policies.
• It examines six admissions models and the impact they would likely have on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity if used consistently across selective colleges.

• In a surprising ruling on June 8, 2023, the conservative leaning U.S. Supreme Court threw out Republican-drawn congressional districts in Alabama that a lower court had ruled discriminated against Black voters and violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• At issue in the case that was before the court, Allen v. Milligan, was whether the power of Black voters in Alabama was diluted by dividing them into districts where white voters dominate.
• Black residents make up about 27% of the state’s population, and voting rights advocates argued that they deserved not one but two political districts.

What does the decision mean for Black voters in Alabama?

• The decision means that Black voters in Alabama, and across the country, will retain the last remaining voter rights protections.
• Specifically, Alabama lawmakers will need to redraw their legislative districts to include two districts that reflect the Black population.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted to prohibit racist practices by Southern states that were used to prevent Black people from voting.

Why was this decision considered a surprise?

• In his opinion for the majority, Roberts traced the importance of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
• He explained how racially motivated voter suppression after the Civil War led to the initial passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
• “States shouldn’t let race be the primary factor in deciding how to draw boundaries but it should be a consideration,” Roberts wrote.
• “The line we have drawn is between consciousness and predominance.” Roberts went further by citing the repugnant racial history of Alabama.

Is the Voting Rights Act still under attack?

• While a breath of fresh air for voting rights activists, this ruling does not mean that white conservatives will cease their attack.
• GOP-controlled congressional maps diluting or eliminating Black districts have been drawn in multiple states, including Louisiana, Georgia, Ohio and Texas.

What are the remaining obstacles to full Black voting power?

• Across the country, there has been a concerted effort to restrict voting and control the election machinery and even the outcome of these votes.
• Dozens of Republican-controlled states have passed a series of laws that will curtail voting of Blacks and many other Americans.

How do these laws typically affect Black people?

• As many as 42 restrictive voting-rights laws in 21 states have been passed since 2021.
• Among these, 33 contain at least one restrictive provision that will impact elections in 20 states.

• However, the media should not lose sight that at its core, SFFA v. Harvard is about ending discrimination against Asian Americans in college admission.
• SFFA's complaint also discusses Harvard's "long history of intentionally discriminating specifically against Asian Americans" going back to the 1970s.
• Harvard itself implicitly acknowledges that it discriminated against Asian Americans, because since the lawsuit began, Harvard has dramatically increased its admission rate for Asian Americans.
• Thus, ending Harvard's discrimination against Asian Americans is not a blow against diversity, as coverage based on the 'end of affirmative action' implies.

• Food insecurity – difficulties getting enough nutritious food for a healthy life – is a growing problem globally.
• Our recent research shows how food insecurity also matters for reproductive justice: people’s ability to have only the children they want and raise them the way they want.
• In our research, we show how food insecurity can restrict each of these rights.

Why food insecurity matters

• And food insecurity can make it hard to meet other basic needs.
• Where healthcare systems charge for service, food insecure people face challenging decisions of whether to use their limited funds on food or healthcare.
• Food insecure people may resort to criminalised methods to obtain food, which can lead to a prison sentence.
• A criminal record may also limit employment opportunities and access to housing, increasing the risk of food insecurity after release from prison.

Why is this a timely issue?

• Such events have disrupted global food supply chains, displaced people, and made basic necessities unaffordable.
• On top of everything, the climate crisis will compound these problems in the coming years.
• Maureen Owino is a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) Scholar and receives funding from CIHR.