Supreme Court delivers major victory for voting rights

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June 08, 2023 View online 1/ Supreme Court rules Alabama discriminated against Black voters in major victory for voting rights In a victory for voting rights and Alabama voters, the US Supreme Court has ruled that the state likely violated the Voting Rights Act with a congressional redistricting plan that diluted the voting power of Black voters. The state likely discriminated against Black voters with a Republican-drawn map that packs most of the state's Black residents into a single district, out of seven, despite Black residents making up 27 per cent of the state's population. A key ruling in the case of Allen v Milligan on 8 June means that the state will have to re-draw its congressional map to include a second majority-Black district. The surprise 5-4 decision on the conservative-majority panel was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by liberal Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, with partial but crucial concurrence from conservative Brett Kavanaugh. 2/ Fox News mocks people wearing masks to block dangerous wildfire smoke Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Jeanine Pirro mock dire health warnings as East Coast faces record air pollution 3/ Biden condemns 'hysterical' threats to LGBT+ Americans as White House pushes back on book bans 'It's an appeal to fear and it's an appeal that is totally, thoroughly unjustified and ugly' 4/ Gavin Newsom proposes Constitutional amendment for gun safety A long-shot proposal, including a national ban on assault rifles, would require majority support from the states 5/ Biden defends DoJ's independence as prosecutors prep Trump charges Federal prosecutors reportedly preparing to seek criminal charges against the former president THE BIG QUESTION How did Chris Licht's botched effort to drag CNN to the right end with his own stunning downfall? Everybody told Chris Licht not to take the job. The 51-year-old was axed as CNN chief executive and chairman on Wednesday 7 June after a chaotic 13-month reign at the network.   Under his leadership, the cable channel had seen ratings plummet, attracting fewer viewers than right-wing minnow Newsmax in May, its newsroom was in open rebellion and staff morale was at "rock-bottom".   His departure had been expected but still marked a stunning downfall for the powerful television executive who, prior to CNN, had enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of broadcast journalism. Read the full story £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more SUBSCRIBE NOW Watch / Biden mistakenly calls Sunak 'Mr President' during White House meeting NUMBER OF THE DAY 115m – The number of Americans impacted by air quality alerts in 13 states as thick smoke continues to pour south from Canada's devastating wildfires. Read more QUOTE OF THE DAY "If it had been a matter of money, I'd have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me. The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money." – Argentinian soccer legend Leo Messi explains his decision to join Inter Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. Read more We noticed that you might not be registered By registering, you will enjoy limited access to Independent Premium articles, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists REGISTER FOR FREE OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE Far-right members of Congress rebel against McCarthy and hold up House votes Trump's most childish insult yet? Advisers want to put 'Tiny D' at centre of DeSantis attacks Ukraine tells 'clown' Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant in first Twitter show Articles available exclusively to subscribers Louis Chilton - The trouble with Arnie's new Netflix doc? The muscle man himself… OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE Climate News Every Friday, 12pm (UK time) Written by Louise Boyle Join now Inside Washington Every weekday, 11pm (UK time) Written by the US team Join now The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 If you can spare a minute we'd love your feedback on our newsletters. Join the conversation or follow us Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Evening Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders.   If you do not want to receive The Independent's Evening Headlines newsletter, please unsubscribe.   If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe here. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our privacy notice and cookie policy.