Republicans face growing concern that a significant Supreme Court ruling they anticipate will influence November's elections in their direction may not be delivered in time, according to Politico.
The case in question is Louisiana v. Callais, which would effectively dismantle key provisions of the Voting Rights Act and allow Republican-controlled legislatures to redraw districts in ways that diminish the political power of Black and Hispanic communities.
According to Politico reporters Samuel Benson and Andrew Howard, the "clock is ticking" and Republican insiders are "losing hope" the ruling will arrive before the midterms.
While the decision could potentially come this week, significant concern exists that the Supreme Court may delay issuing such a consequential ruling until the end of the current session in June or July.
"The window of opportunity for new maps going into place before this November's elections is rapidly closing, as states would need ample time to change deadlines, shift election calendars, vet signatures and print and distribute ballots," Politico reports. "And the longer it takes for the Supreme Court to issue a ruling, the harder it will be for state-level Republicans to throw their maps out and draw new ones before this fall's elections."
Tammy Patrick, chief programs officer for the non-partisan Election Center, emphasized the complexity of the process: "It can get very complicated and very sticky, and that is not fast work. That is time-consuming, very methodical and detail-oriented work that needs to have sufficient time."
Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt suggested the court's deliberate pace may reflect the magnitude of the decision and resulting legal disputes. "It's really hard for me to see a decision that does anything significant that wouldn't occasion a major dissent, and it's really hard for me to see that dissent not taking a fairly long time in the back-and-forth."
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