Court rejects DC residents' bid for voting representation

[JudyM]

Source: Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Monday affirmed a lower court ruling that said District of Columbia residents are not entitled to voting representation in the House of Representatives.

Residents had asked the high court to hear the issue. The court's four-sentence order cited a case from 2000 in which the justices said the same thing.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-congress-district-of-columbia-voting-courts-a30cba6d363b4efa1e7f9170796cbac4

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More from CNN:

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a long shot bid from registered voters in the District of Columbia who sought the ability to elect representatives to Congress. The group of voters said their inability to vote for members of Congress violated their rights to equal protection and due process and pointed to the fact that Congress extended voting rights to overseas residents but not to similarly situated residents of DC.

"Residents of the District of Columbia are the only adult American citizens subject to federal income taxes who lack voting representation in Congress, except for felons in some States," lawyers for the residents wrote in legal papers.
A lower court ruled against the voters, holding that they do not live in a "state."

The court rejected the appeal without comment.
The court's action comes amid an ongoing debate on whether to make the federal district the country's 51st state. Democrats and advocates for DC statehood say making the district a state would allow for equal representation in Congress while Republicans argue it is a progressive effort to push their agenda by adding votes in the House and Senate.

The District of Columbia had over 689,000 residents in 2020, according to recent US Census results. The district has no voting member of Congress and Senate representation, but is is represented in the House by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat. Legislation introduced by Norton that would grant statehood to DC passed the House in April.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/politics/supreme-court-dc-residents-congress/index.html

😞

[jimfields33]

1. Constitutional amendment is only remedy

[thucythucy]

3. Or DC statehood.

Would that require an amendment?

I don't any the admission of any other states--including West Virginia, which was carved out of Virginia--needing an amendment. Is there something different about DC?

[angrychair]

12. Statehood is actually pretty easy

Just requires simple majority in House and Senate and signature of president and bam your a state.

[angrychair]

13. Statehood is actually pretty easy

Just requires simple majority in House and Senate and signature of president and bam your a state.

[thucythucy]

18. If that's the case I wish the Democrats in the House and Senate

would get on with it.

Two more Democratic senators would fix a world of woes.

[marshall]

11. Can they go back to being part of Maryland?

That worked for Alexandria when it went back to Virginia, and didn't require an amendment. Maybe not the optimal solution, but it certainly seems to be the simplest, beyond just leaving it at the status quo.

[in2herbs]

15. Maybe DC should use TX as a guideline meaning agree to become part of MD on the condition that

they can secede anytime. This will give them congressional representation now but if at a later time when there's the votes in Congress, secede from MD and become a state?? Is this possible???

[thucythucy]

2. I guess the Supremes just don't agree that "taxation without representation

is tyranny."

Just goes to show: we have a Tory Supreme Court.

King George would be proud.

[brooklynite]

5. They recognize that the Constitution reserves legislative representation to States.

DC got Presidential Electoral Votes through a Constitutional Amendment. Make the non-Government portions of DC a State and the problem is solved.

Article IV, Section 3: Section 3
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

[thucythucy]

16. I was being snarky.

I'm hoping DC statehood isn't too far off.

You'd think 200 plus years of this hypocrisy would be enough.

[MichMan]

20. I paid non resident city taxes for years, so quite familiar to taxation without representation

[LiberalArkie]

4. How dare the servants of the Lords in government dare to request the right to speak for themselves.

Don't they know their place?

[jimfields33]

6. Lol. Following the constitution sucks!

[turbinetree]

7. MD Jamie Raskin....

Doesn’t making DC a state require a constitutional amendment?

Many Republican lawmakers argue that for D.C. to become a state, a constitutional amendment is needed, which would have to be approved by two-thirds of the current 50 states.

“H.R. 51 goes against the Founding Founders’ intent and is unconstitutional, impractical and a blatant power grab,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., arguing against the bill.

But supporters of the measure counter that the legislation does not require a constitutional amendment.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who before he came to Congress was a constitutional scholar, maintained that thin arguments have been made repeatedly over the years against admitting various states.

He said the arguments to reject the rights of fellow Americans are “often wrapped in constitutional clothing.”

“With Texas it was said, Texas could not be admitted because it would be unconstitutional because it was its own country,” he said. “It was said Hawaii and Alaska could not be admitted because they were not contiguous.”

He cited several other examples, including the argument that West Virginia couldn’t be admitted to the union because it was part of Virginia; Oklahoma “was said to be too poor;” New Mexico was “too Catholic, and on and on and on.”

Raskin said there is no requirement for a constitutional amendment to make D.C. a state.

https://wtop.com/dc/2021/04/state-debate-why-has-d-c-has-never-been-a-state/

SO if I read Raskins comment correctly.....the federalist sitting on the US Supreme court have no standing, that the citizens of the district have standing......

[Polybius]

9. Whether DC can become a state or not has nothing to do with THIS ruling

It's about the status quo, and whether or not DC can have congressional members now. Of course they can't, it's not a state. it was a longshot challenge from the start, and the decision was likely 9-0 or 8-1.

[Polybius]

8. Sound horrible for the people of DC, but sadly it was the right decision based on the Constitution

I wouldn't be surprised if the decision was unanimous either.

[Marthe48]

10. so they'll use precedent for a ruling on D.C. and ignore it for Roe v. Wade

real balanced

[IbogaProject]

14. So then DC residents should be able to register in other states

So then DC residents should be able to register in other states just like overseas americans can still vote? That might flip one or more red states.

[thucythucy]

17. What an interesting idea!

I hadn't heard this before, and I wonder what the details would be for making this happen. Probably residency requirements or such?

[brooklynite]

19. Conservatives have said that for years.