On May 7, just hours after the Republican-dominated Tennessee State Assembly passed legislation which split Memphis into three separate congressional districts, the city which has a large majority of African Americans could be left with no relevant representation.
Protests in Nashville led by African American State Assembly members have generated even more attacks on opponents of the Louisiana v. Callais decision and the subsequent redrawing of the Memphis congressional map.
The Supreme Court voted along partisan lines with the 6 conservative justices ensuring that the Voting Rights Act passed by Congress in 1965 and signed into law bythen President Lyndon Baines Johnsonwould be effectively eliminated. This legislation, which grew directly out of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, opened the way for the first African American Congressional representation since the defeat of Reconstruction during the 1870s.
Voting Rights Act signing in 1965
Efforts under the previous administration ofPresident Joe Bidento pass renewed voting rights legislation named in honor of the late Congressman and Civil Rights activistJohn Lewisfailed due to lack of votes in a Democratic-dominated House of Representatives and Senate in 2021. The John Lewis Voting Rights bill was scrapped along with other legislation such as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, represented promises made during the mass demonstrations and rebellions which occurred during 2020 leading up to the presidential and congressional elections of that year.
In addition, a $3.5 trillion social spending bill did not succeed either, which was purportedly aimed at reducing poverty among children. All of these failures since 2021, have worsened the social conditions among African Americans and other oppressed people.
This recent Supreme Court decision was not surprising considering the polls which indicate extremely low approval ratings for currentPresident Donald Trump. His tariffs policies have prompted inflationary pressures while the unprovoked war on Iran has caused political and economic turmoil in the United States and internationally.
One Tennessee state legislator said during the session which disenfranchised African Americans in the state that the purpose of the redistricting bill was to ensure that right-wing Republicans maintain control of the House of Representatives. If the Democrats retake the House, the stage could be set for considerable acrimony within Congress over the final two years of the Trump second non-consecutive term.
Moreover, the unprovoked war against Iran has drawn even more negative reviews of the Trump administration. The State of Israel and the U.S. launched a bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28 hoping for the collapse of the government in Tehran which has been in existence since early 1979.
Trump’s mantra of “making America great again” has alienated a considerable number of his right-wing base with the launching of the war on Iran. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether or not the failure of the U.S. in the Iran war and the concomitant outcomes including the rise in fuel, food and other consumer goods prices will turn Republicans away from Trump and his allies. The rise in inflation has impacted small and medium-sized business enterprises prompting lay-offs across the country.
Source: Global Research
