Why the Supreme Court's Alabama election map decision was surprising to many

June 12, 2023, 4:40 PMElizabeth Frantz/Reuters, FILEthat Alabama's congressional maps, which were redrawn after the 2020 census, violate Section 2 of the landmark Voting Rights Act by diluting the influence of the state's Black voters. Section 2 says that states cannot draw maps that "result in a denial or abridgment of the right to vote on account of race or color."

ABC News’ Linsey Davis spoke to Michael Waldman, president and CEO of NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice, about the decision and his new book – “The Super Majority: How the Supreme Court Divided America.”Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters, FILE DAVIS: And we saw, kind of to piggyback on what you're saying, Justices Kavanaugh and Roberts joined the liberals on this one. And that's something that we really haven't seen since the conservatives got the majority. What did you make of their rationale?

DAVIS: Your book really talks about the idea of that separation, the increased divide between the American public and the court. And at one point you write, “Every day the court's power grab pushes us closer to a crisis, a catastrophic loss of institutional legitimacy.” How would you argue that that's played out in recent years, and how do you see it playing out going forward?

WALDMAN: Well, I think the only path forward from within the court is for the justices to pull back on making radical rulings – radical in the sense that they rip up settled societal expectations. I think also part of the shift can come from others beyond the court. Congress can respond by passing laws to strengthen the Voting Rights Act. We as a people can pass constitutional amendments.

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