Progressives just celebrated a decisive victory for the Wisconsin Supreme Court last week, one that sets them up to flip the court in just a few years and finally put them in a position to police Republicans’ voter suppression tactics, including their extreme gerrymanders.
But Wisconsin is by no means the only state Democrats should have on their target lists for 2020 when it comes to supreme courts. Progressives have the chance to make major gains—or even take outright majorities—on several other top courts this year, including those in Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas.
The federal judiciary has grown ever more hostile to voting rights during the Trump era, and the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to curtail partisan maps designed to entrench one-party rule. But at the same time, state courts have started striking down these gerrymanders—and crucially, these decisions rely on protections found in state constitutions, meaning that they’re insulated from John Roberts’ review.
Almost every state constitution, in fact, offers similar protections. The issue is who’s interpreting them. But unlike federal judges, many state Supreme Court justices are elected to their posts, so progressives have the opportunity to replace conservative ideologues with independent-minded jurists.
That’s critical in Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas—states that the GOP has gerrymandered at every level. If we can roll back the right-wing stranglehold on the state courts, we can make great strides toward fairer maps for the coming decade. Below, we’ll take stock of the high courts in each of these four states and explain how progressives can win back judicial power in each of them.
