SCOTUS Is Hearing a Case that Could End Democracy as We Know It
This is autocracy wrapped in legalese. Now is the time to stand up.
This week, the Supreme Court of the United States is hearing a case that could eviscerate what remains of the Voting Rights Act — the crown jewel of American democracy. At stake is not just a legal technicality, but the fundamental question of whether fair and free elections can survive in this country.
If the Court rules in Louisiana v. Callais, as expected by some conservative legal scholars, the result could be the redrawing of dozens of congressional districts — many of which are currently represented by Black, Latino, and other minority leaders — effectively silencing the voices of millions of Americans. Let’s be clear: This isn’t just a judicial decision. It’s a political earthquake, one that could lock in Republican control of the House in 2026 and help Donald Trump consolidate power over all three branches of government — the presidency, the Congress, and the Court.
That’s not democracy. That’s autocracy wrapped in legalese.
We saw the warning signs in 2013 when the Supreme Court gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, opening the floodgates for voter suppression across the South. Five years after the ruling, nearly 1,000 U.S. polling places had closed, many of them in predominantly African-American counties. But this moment is far more dangerous. Now, the very heart of the Voting Rights Act — the idea that minority voters deserve representation and protection from discriminatory redistricting — is under siege. The Court’s willingness to even hear this case sends a chilling message: the highest bench in the land is entertaining the idea that minority representation can be undone with the stroke of a pen.
And this is no coincidence. Donald Trump has openly called for aggressive redistricting, pressuring states like Texas to redraw maps in ways that advantage white, rural, Republican voters at the expense of fast-growing, diverse communities. The result has been a cascade of redistricting fights, all aiming to consolidate partisan power and suppress pluralistic democracy.
Make no mistake: if this case goes the way many fear, it will function as a judicial coup — one that ensures the minority party can rule the majority of Americans for a generation. And if we wait until November of 2026 to push back, it will be far too late.
We must act now.
'It's Our America': LIVE from the 'No Kings' Protests Across the Country
Today is a good day to celebrate our democracy. Many of us in the Lincoln Square/Lincoln Project family have fanned out at “No Kings” protests on Saturday, June 14 in what organizers are calling the largest single-day mobilization since Trump returned to office.
On Saturday, October 18, Americans across the country are mobilizing under the banner of the “No Kings” protest, a peaceful national action demanding that our government reflect the will of the people — not the ambitions of a would-be king.
This protest is not just about Trump. It’s about the Supreme Court’s role in enabling a slow-motion authoritarian takeover. It’s about the betrayal of civil rights progress. It’s about protecting the right to vote, to choose our leaders, and to live in a country where power is earned — not rigged.
Do everything you can to fight back.
Show up. Join the “No Kings” protest on October 18. Peacefully, visibly, and powerfully. Bring your signs, your voices, your neighbors.
Call your representatives. Demand that Congress take immediate action to restore the Voting Rights Act and impose judicial ethics reforms. Tell them democracy cannot wait.
Support legal organizations. Groups like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Brennan Center, and the ACLU are fighting in the courts to defend voting rights. They need resources and public support.
Volunteer to protect the vote. Sign up to be a poll worker, a voter protection volunteer, or a community organizer in vulnerable districts.
Vote in every election. Local and state elections often determine who controls redistricting and voter access. Don’t sit them out.
Educate others. Talk to your family, friends, and communities about what’s at stake. Authoritarianism thrives on confusion and apathy. Shine a light.
This is not a drill. We are watching the very structure of representative democracy teeter on the edge. If the Voting Rights Act falls, and Trump-backed redistricting solidifies minority rule, the 2026 elections will not be free or fair. They will be theater — the kind seen in nations that call themselves democracies, but operate as monarchies.
History will remember what we did when democracy needed us most.
And our history from the start has always been that America does not bow to a King.
Now is the time. Stand up. Get loud. Be peaceful. Be unyielding. No Kings. Not now. Not ever.
DON’T MISS THE NEW PODCAST FROM JOE TRIPPI AND LONGTIME JOURNALIST JOE KLEIN, TWO JOES. (DON’T EXPECT THEM TO AGREE).
Introducing the Two Joes Podcast! (Don't Expect Them to Agree).
Political campaign guru Joe Trippi and political columnist Joe Klein team up in their first episode of Two Joes, a brutally honest assessment of the American political landscape. Their first debate: Will there be a free and fair 2026 midterm election? Joe Klein’s confident there will be, but Joe Trippi’s not so sure. This isn’t punditry; it’s a deep-div…
It's amazing that a small handful of individuals can determine the lives and liberties of 330M people.....seems the "Despicable 6" of the SCOTUS doesn't read or care to understand what the US Constitution says or means....but rather use it to wipe their asses with.
Racist John Roberts has been on a campaign to kill the VRA since his days as a clerk for racist Rehnquist and in racist Reagan's DoJ. Now he has 5 other racists to vote with him. The VRA is, therefore, toast. But between Trump's overreach, ICE's violence and Trump's tanking economy, no red seat is safe in 2026 no matter how hard they try to gerrymander their way to power. Stop whining and fearmongering and get out and fight.