June 27, 2019

Here’s How the 2020 Candidates Reacted to Today’s Supreme Court Ruling on Gerrymandering

The presidential hopefuls weighed in on Twitter about gerrymandering.

Aurora Samperio/Zuma

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The Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday finding that partisan gerrymandering can’t be blocked by federal courts, effectively allowing state legislatures to draw district lines in such a way as to disadvantage either political party. On Twitter, the 2020 Democratic hopefuls pounced on the opportunity to weigh in.

Several candidates, including New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Washington Governor Jay Inslee, called gerrymandering a “disgrace.”

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren called the decision “an abomination.”

Still other candidates pointed out that gerrymandering can be used to weaken the voting power of communities of color.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker promised a new Voting Rights Act to remove barriers to voting access.

Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke also unveiled a plan to strengthen voting rights.

Others made broader statements about the harmful consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision.

 

 

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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