Elena Kagan says Supreme Court’s recent decisions have hurt democracy

On October 20, Justice Elena Kagan, one of the three liberal justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, criticized her conservative colleagues for decisions that have polarized American politics and weakened democracy. Speaking at Catholic University's law school in Washington D.C., Justice Kagan argued that recent rulings have enabled partisan gerrymandering, which deprives citizens of their voting equality by redrawing electoral district boundaries to favor specific political parties. She warned that this has pushed politicians towards the extremes due to fear of primary challenges and exacerbated an already polarized country ahead of crucial midterm elections on November 3, where voters will decide control of Congress. Kagan highlighted how recent decisions like striking down Louisiana’s congressional map and campaign finance restrictions have particularly undermined voting rights protections previously established under laws such as the Voting Rights Act.