The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that state legislatures are entitled to draw Congressional districts in such a way as to benefit one political party over another.
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the 5-4 conservative majority, argued that the founders understood that state legislatures would seek political advantage when drawing Congressional districts, and suggested any efforts to halt the practice should not go through the courts.
“We conclude that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts,” the chief justice wrote. “Federal judges have no license to reallocate political power between the two major political parties, with no plausible grant of authority in the Constitution, and no legal standards to limit and direct their decisions.”