{"id":10233,"date":"2026-05-18T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/?p=10233"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:15:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:15:54","slug":"us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/","title":{"rendered":"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, voters stand in line at an early voting location in 2022. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has suspended Louisiana\u2019s May 16, 2026, party primary elections for six U.S. House districts \u2014 after early voting had begun \u2014 following the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s decision to throw out the state\u2019s existing congressional map (Wes Muller\/Louisiana Illuminator.)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas\u2019 gerrymandered congressional map to take effect in December, its conservative majority wrote that a lower court had \u201cimproperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign\u201d when it blocked the map more than three months before the election.<\/p>\n

Now, the Supreme Court is the one upending elections.<\/p>\n

For the past two decades, the Supreme Court has advanced the idea that federal courts should not order major changes close to an election to limit voter confusion. Over time the doctrine, first articulated in the 2006 case\u00a0Purcell vs. Gonzalez<\/a>, became known as the Purcell principle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But election law experts and one of the court\u2019s liberal justices say the Supreme Court is wielding \u2014 or disregarding \u2014 the principle unevenly in ways that aid Republicans.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, the Supreme Court has effectively allowed last-minute election changes in Southern states that hold major consequences for what districts voters are assigned to and the future of Black political representation across the region.<\/p>\n

These Republican-controlled states are racing to redraw congressional maps to eliminate majority-Black districts, many of which have elected Black Democrats to Congress. The gerrymandering rush has come even with early voting underway in some states.<\/p>\n

Wilfred Codrington III, a professor of law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, who has studied the Purcell principle, said limiting voter confusion is common sense. But after that general idea,\u00a0 the principle \u201cjust falls apart\u201d because the Supreme Court has never answered questions raised by the doctrine \u2014 like how close to an election is too close.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe court has not thought through them and it seems like when the court applies them, they\u2019re being applied in partisan ways,\u201d Codrington said, about questions the doctrine raises.<\/p>\n

April ruling OK\u2019d redistricting<\/h4>\n

After the high court gutted the federal Voting Rights Act in Callais, a landmark decision on April 29 that found Louisiana\u2019s map unconstitutional, it fast-tracked paperwork so the state could quickly redraw district lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Voting had begun in the state\u2019s congressional primary election, which Republican Gov. Jeff Landry suspended, discarding 42,000 votes already cast.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"U.S.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-Louisiana, testifies Friday, May 8, 2026, before the Louisiana Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee that considered proposals to update the state\u2019s congressional districts. (Photo by Wes Muller\/Louisiana Illuminator)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A majority of the court voted to immediately certify its decision instead of observing its typical 32-day waiting period. In\u00a0a blistering dissent<\/a>, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the justices were disregarding their previous insistence that courts shouldn\u2019t risk assuming political responsibility for a redistricting process that often produces hard feelings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is also the so-called Purcell principle, which we invoked only five months ago to chide a federal district court for \u2018improperly insert[ing] itself into an active primary campaign,\u2019\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cThe Court unshackles itself from both constraints today and dives into the fray. And just like that, those principles give way to power.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conservative justices on May 11 then cleared a path for Alabama to move toward implementing a Republican gerrymander that state lawmakers approved in 2023 but was blocked by a lower court. Their decision came a little more than a week before the state\u2019s primary election.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has called an August special primary election for some of the state\u2019s congressional districts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States Supreme Court\u2019s decision is plain common sense and enables our values to be best represented in Congress,\u201d Ivey said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u2018Like it doesn\u2019t exist\u2019<\/h4>\n

The Supreme Court\u2019s actions this spring stand in stark contrast to its\u00a0December decision<\/a> to allow Texas\u2019 gerrymander to take effect. After President Donald Trump urged GOP states to redraw their maps for partisan advantage, Texas was the first state to respond, enacting new lines that could help Republicans pick up five seats.<\/p>\n

A three-judge district court panel ruled against the map, finding that it was racially gerrymandered. The Supreme Court paused the panel\u2019s decision, finding that the panel likely made serious errors and that the district court was \u201ccausing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections\u201d amid the campaign season.<\/p>\n

That language echoed the Purcell decision, which found that an appeals court had erred in blocking an Arizona law requiring a photo ID to register to vote. The Supreme Court\u2019s\u00a0unsigned opinion<\/a> cautioned that court orders affecting elections can cause voter confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an election draws closer, that risk will increase,\u201d the 2006 opinion said.<\/p>\n

Nearly 20 years later, the Supreme Court made no mention of Purcell in its Callais opinion, which dropped like a political bomb across the South.\u00a0Since the decision<\/a>, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee have either enacted new maps or are seeking to do so ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n

Mark Johnson, a Kansas City-based lawyer with a long history of working on election litigation, noted that Callais was argued at the Supreme Court twice, first in March 2025 and again in October. The justices then waited a long time before releasing their decision, he said, adding that if they didn\u2019t realize the implications of their ruling they were \u201casleep at the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why the Callais case is so disturbing, because a Supreme Court that has by and large followed Purcell just acted like it doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"(Photo<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
The U.S. Supreme Court. (Photo by Ashley Murray\/States Newsroom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Court legitimacy at stake<\/h4>\n

Several high-profile observers of the Supreme Court have been unsparing in their criticism of the justices\u2019 approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steve Vladeck, a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center and a foremost expert on the court, wrote in\u00a0an online post<\/a> that the court\u2019s recent decisions \u201cfatally undermine\u201d the animating purpose of the Purcell principle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Court\u2019s own interventions are now wreaking havoc\u2014and a majority of the justices either don\u2019t think it\u2019s their fault, or don\u2019t care that it is. Either way, they don\u2019t seem to mind the inconsistency\u2014in a context in which it\u2019s having the remarkably coincidental effect of benefiting Republicans,\u201d Vladeck wrote.<\/p>\n

Rick Hasen, a professor at UCLA School of Law and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project, wrote\u00a0on social media<\/a> that the Supreme Court in Chief Justice John Roberts\u2019 hands \u201chas become a chaos agent in elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public support for the Supreme Court was dropping prior to Callais. An August 2025 Pew Research Center\u00a0survey<\/a> found 48% of Americans hold a favorable view of the court, a 22-percentage point drop from August 2020.<\/p>\n

In the wake of the decision, Democrats have\u00a0renewed their calls<\/a> for court reform. Some have proposed term limits for the justices or expanding the size of the court to dilute its conservative majority. However, major changes are unlikely to become law while the U.S. Senate retains the filibuster and Trump remains in office.<\/p>\n

For his part, Roberts has taken pains to paint the court as outside of politics. But at a judicial conference in Pennsylvania in early May, Roberts acknowledged the public thinks the justices are expressing policy preferences rather than interpreting the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they view us as purely political actors, which I don\u2019t think is an accurate understanding of what we do,\u201d Roberts said,\u00a0according to<\/a> The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, another of the court\u2019s conservatives, has drawn a distinction between federal courts ordering last-minute changes to elections and states making changes themselves \u2014 suggesting that courts shouldn\u2019t necessarily thwart state legislatures that alter rules and procedures in the run-up to elections.<\/p>\n

In a 2020\u00a0concurring opinion<\/a> about a federal judge who had altered Wisconsin\u2019s absentee ballot deadline amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Kavanaugh wrote that it was one thing for state legislatures to change their own election rules \u201cin the late innings\u201d and bear responsibility for unintended consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is quite another thing for a federal district court to swoop in and alter carefully considered and democratically enacted state election rules when an election is imminent,\u201d Kavanaugh wrote.<\/p>\n

Chaotic campaign season<\/h4>\n

But voting rights advocates say Callais is unleashing a wave of voter confusion as Southern legislatures rush to gerrymander.<\/p>\n

Tennessee\u2019s Republican-controlled legislature passed a map May 7 that divides the Memphis area among three congressional districts. The move splits a majority-Black district in Memphis represented by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a white Democrat. Cohen announced Friday\u00a0he wouldn\u2019t seek reelection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
A redrawn U.S. House district map shows Memphis split into three separate districts. (Photo by John Partipilo\/Tennessee Lookout)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is a year where we\u2019re already in the cycle and they\u2019re going to have to redo everything they\u2019ve already worked on because these districts are completely different,\u201d Matia Powell, executive director of the voting rights group Civic TN, told reporters.<\/p>\n

The Tennessee Democratic Party and several Democratic candidates, including state Rep. Justin Pearson, who is running for Cohen\u2019s current seat, have filed a federal lawsuit against the map. They argue the new map will cause \u201csignificant voter confusion\u201d and severely burden the right to vote.<\/p>\n

Tennessee Republican Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti argues the Democrats have a solution in search of a problem. Tennessee lawmakers have provided more than $3.1 million to implement the new map and that state officials are already working to meet election deadlines, Skrmetti\u2019s office wrote in a Wednesday court filing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt bottom, this suit is an invitation to play politics, not law,\u201d Tennessee Senior Assistant Attorney General Zachary Barker wrote\u00a0in the filing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Court Judge William Campbell, a Trump appointee, on Thursday declined to immediately halt the map.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court has sent states the message that \u201cthere are no rules\u201d and that state legislatures are welcome to gerrymander Black representation at any point, said Anna Baldwin, voting rights litigation director at Campaign Legal Center, which has sued over Florida\u2019s recent gerrymander.<\/p>\n

And the way the court applies the Purcell principle encourages states to make changes close to elections \u2014 because courts are more reluctant to block them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe court is creating a perverse incentive structure that ultimately does make it harder for people who are trying to protect voting rights to prevail,\u201d Baldwin said.<\/p>\n

Click on the link at the top of this article to be taken to the complete article.<\/p>

This post<\/a> was originally published on this site<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas\u2019 gerrymandered congressional map to take effect in December, its conservative majority wrote that a lower court had \u201cimproperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign\u201d when it blocked the map more than three months before the election. Now, the Supreme Court is the one upending elections. For the [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":10235,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-missouri-independent","post_format-post-format-link"],"yoast_head":"\nUS Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say - WestplexNews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say - WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas\u2019 gerrymandered congressional map to take effect in December, its conservative majority wrote that a lower court had \u201cimproperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign\u201d when it blocked the map more than three months before the election. Now, the Supreme Court is the one upending elections. For the [\u2026]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T15:00:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T15:15:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jonathan Shorman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jonathan Shorman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jonathan Shorman\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/448ab7f01dd6e7734528346f8ece1b37\"},\"headline\":\"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T15:00:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T15:15:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1777,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Missouri Independent\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/\",\"name\":\"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say - WestplexNews.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T15:00:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T15:15:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/missouriindependent.com\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/repub\\\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"WestplexNews.com\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"WestplexNews.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png\",\"width\":690,\"height\":242,\"caption\":\"WestplexNews.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/448ab7f01dd6e7734528346f8ece1b37\",\"name\":\"Jonathan Shorman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jonathan Shorman\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westplexnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/jonathan-shorman\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say - WestplexNews.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say - WestplexNews.com","og_description":"When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas\u2019 gerrymandered congressional map to take effect in December, its conservative majority wrote that a lower court had \u201cimproperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign\u201d when it blocked the map more than three months before the election. Now, the Supreme Court is the one upending elections. For the [\u2026]","og_url":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/","og_site_name":"WestplexNews.com","article_published_time":"2026-05-18T15:00:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-18T15:15:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jonathan Shorman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jonathan Shorman","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/"},"author":{"name":"Jonathan Shorman","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/448ab7f01dd6e7734528346f8ece1b37"},"headline":"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say","datePublished":"2026-05-18T15:00:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-18T15:15:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/"},"wordCount":1777,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg","articleSection":["Missouri Independent"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/","url":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/","name":"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say - WestplexNews.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-18T15:00:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-18T15:15:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4663-1024x6831777505306-1.jpg","width":1024,"height":683},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/18\/repub\/us-supreme-courts-uneven-rulings-in-election-lead-up-causing-chaos-experts-say\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"US Supreme Court\u2019s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/","name":"WestplexNews.com","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization","name":"WestplexNews.com","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png","width":690,"height":242,"caption":"WestplexNews.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/448ab7f01dd6e7734528346f8ece1b37","name":"Jonathan Shorman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jonathan Shorman"},"url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/author\/jonathan-shorman\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10233"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10236,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10233\/revisions\/10236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}