Redistricting Rulings Rattle Court's Legitimacy

The Supreme Court is taking heat from all directions over a string of redistricting rulings that critics say arrived too close to the 2026 elections to be anything but political.

State of play: The Court dropped Louisiana v. Callais more than two weeks ago, and the argument hasn't cooled. Democrats aren't just criticizing the decisions — they're attacking the institution itself, calling it corrupt and warning it will "live in infamy." Meanwhile, the justices are quietly meeting in conference today to vote on new petitions.

Catch up quick:

• The Court has long told lower judges not to interfere in election cases once the process is already rolling — critics say it just violated that principle in Callais and related cases favoring Republicans in redistricting fights
• Virginia separately asked the Court Monday to reinstate its new congressional map; a response was due by 5 p.m. today
• Justice Samuel Alito's temporary pause on a 5th Circuit mifepristone ruling also expires today at 5 p.m., so the Court has a full plate

The institution question is where this gets interesting for anyone who cares about courts deciding anything — including Second Amendment cases. CNN's analysis flags that Democratic attacks on Court legitimacy could fire up the base but are unlikely to move swing voters. Large polling majorities still don't believe the Court is "hopelessly captured."

What they're saying:

"In the world of law and the world of writing your opinions, you're going to disagree, and you have the opportunity to express your views in the context of your opinions, but in our day-to-day interactions, none of us takes it personally, and we get along just fine." — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at Southern Methodist University, Tuesday

Jackson was notably careful not to wade into the redistricting fallout specifically, instead making a broader pitch for judicial independence — urging the public to support judges who are "not beholden to the political branches."

Reality check: Whatever you think about which party benefits from any given map, the underlying procedural complaint here has teeth. Courts intervening in elections after filing deadlines and early voting begins creates real operational chaos — for election administrators, candidates, and voters alike. That's separate from who wins.

What to watch: Orders from today's conference drop Monday at 9:30 a.m. EDT. The Virginia congressional map request and any action on mifepristone will likely come before that. If the Court reinstates Virginia's map, expect another round of legitimacy arguments before the week is out.