In the Media: SCOTUS Rulings
This week has been explosive in the Supreme Court, as four major cases have transformed the face of civil rights in our country. Thousands of articles have been produced in reaction and, as a result, it may seem impossible to grasp even one case, let alone four in three days. We're here to help you out, with a compilation of the best media coverage of each case. As an added bonus, we've included information on Wendy Davis and her filibuster in Texas.
PROPOSITION 8/DOMA
Wednesday’s ruling was doubly empowering for gay marriage advocates: the Court declared that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional for denying gay couples federal benefits and struck down California’s Proposition 8, which defines marriage as the union between a man and a women.
Read the official Supreme Court decisions, Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor.
The New York Times breaks down the state-by-state consequences of the ruling, while SCOTUS Blog takes a look at its broader implications.
Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in the challenge to the DOMA, celebrates before a call from President Obama.
There's more from The New Yorker.
Here'show Obama reacted and the interpretation of Adam Liptak, the Supreme Court correspondent to The New York Times.
Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), the first member of Congress to enter into a gay marriage while in office, provides his opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o6QtYxeTeEc#at=16
This New York Times video shows the reaction of California families:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lPDd_6Vj2g
The New York Times explores the history leading up to Wednesday and here's a Buzzfeed graph depicting the shift in public opinion since 1996.
Not everyone was in favor of the decision, of course. Check out the conservative response and The Washington Post'sE.J. Dionne, Jr. , who thinks that despite this liberal-friendly decision, the Court is moving in a conservative direction.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Mn.) calls the ruling offensive and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) simply does not care.
http://youtu.be/8vvuO_yn9c0
Read about the similarly colorfulJustice Antonin Scalia during the Supreme Court session.
Even polygamists are excited about the decision:
Finally, here's some running interns clutching their prized information, courtesy of Buzzfeed.
VOTING RIGHTS ACT
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down the portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that designates which states must receive approval from the federal government before altering their voting laws.
Here's the official ruling (The New York Times will help you understand each piece of it).
Supporters of the act stood outside the Supreme Court Tuesday:
The New York Times considers the decision to be a direct threat to civil rights, while George Will wrote in The Washington Post that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is obsolete, andJennifer Rubin picks apart the left's critique of the Supreme Court decision.
SCOTUS Blog dissects Chief Justice Roberts' reasoning behind the case.
Civil rights leader and Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.) calls this is a stab to the heart of the Voting Rights Act:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMV9geD0HyU
Here's a few challenges this decision poses for Obama, according to The Washington Post, and check out a compilation of politicians' opinions about the ruling, thanks to Politico.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fl.) tweeted her dismay:
Meanwhile, Rep. Ryan Winkler (D-Mn.) received backlash for his tweet that called Justice Clarence Thomas "Uncle Thomas."
Buzzfeed takes a look at eight previous instances in which the Voting Rights Act blocked discriminatory voting laws and Bloomberg compares this decision to the case in 2006, examining the changed conditions that necessitate an update to the act.
FISHER V. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
In this case, Abigail Fisher challenged the affirmative action policies in the University of Texas at Austin's admissions program. The case was sent back down to lower courts on Monday, with Justice Kennedy critiquing the lower courts for their failure to strictly scrutinize the university's program.
Here's a video of the story from Fisher's perspective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXSpx9PZZj4
To connect this case to the two above, read Charles Blow's analysis of the Supreme Court's three different decisions and the ambiguity surrounding them.
Here's the full ruling and this is what the American Civil Liberties Union had to say about the case.
President of the N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense and Education Fund Sherrilyn Ifill explored the interaction between race and class in college admissions a few weeks ago and this New Yorker piece justifies the use of affirmative action in the admissions process. Adam Liptak maintains that this decision will "set off a wave of challenges to race-conscious admissions policies nationwide" andthis Bloomberg piece predicts the end of affirmative action.
Take a look at this exploration of the costs of using race in admissions, which states that those who oppose racial preferences are better off now than a year ago. Similarly, the Daily Texan, the University of Texas at Austin's student newspaper, considered the case a "win" for opponents to affirmative action.
And for those of you who prefer to consume news in GIFs,this Buzzfeed article should be perfect for you.
WENDY DAVIS
On Tuesday evening, Davis, a Democrat in the Texas Senate, filibustered Senate Bill 5, which bans abortion after 20 weeks and would reduce the number of available abortion clinics in Texas from 47 to five. For eleven hours straight, Davis stood in the Senate without budging. At 10:07 p.m., two hours before the session's end, she was forced from the floor, but the vote on the bill was nonetheless delayed due to the crowd's chants in her favor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IJywriOad7o
Davis received massive support from the rest of the country and has taken over Twitter, as the tweetstorm of #standwithwendy forced Davis into the media spotlight.
She's even been compared to Daenerys Targaryen and LeBron James:
John Oliver takes a comic look at the Texas Republicans' stance: "Hold on, is five abortion clinics in 269,000 square miles really so bad? Think about it. Texas will still have three more abortion clinics than it has Six Flags Amusement Parks."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c1RtkXl2dw
NBC News documents Texas governor Rick Perry's opinion that Davis of all people should realize that even those born into terrible circumstances can succeed.
Take a look at this protestor who compared abortion to genocide and was escorted out of the Senate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fao8p-zM3Aw#at=21
The Washington Post explores the significance of Davis' filibuster for the abortion debate across the nation and Slate looks at the future of the Democratic party in Texas. On the other hand, Politico draws attention to the obstacles Davis still faces in Texas, especially if she runs for governor.
ABC News highlights a few of the personal stories Davis shared during her filibuster.
Davis has received almost as much attention for her choice of footwear as for her determination:
Here's an in-depth analysis of Davis' sneakers and their reviews on Amazon.