opinion | The Supreme Court’s rejection of a contested legal theory about elections
To the editor:
Subject “Court Rules State Controls Over US Voting Has Limits” (front page, June 28):
The Supreme Court has ruled several high-profile cases this month, but only one, Moore to Harper, had the potential to erode the lifeblood of our democracy: voting. This electoral law case took into account, in part, a controversial constitutional theory known as the “independent state legislature” doctrine.
The question was whether or not state legislatures had absolute power without electoral oversight by state courts to regulate federal elections. With power unchecked, state legislators in key swing states could have rejected voters’ roll lists and designated their hand-picked deputies.
The Supreme Court has a duty to protect our democracy. By rejecting the dangerous theory of the independent state legislature, the court protected the judiciary at the state level and protected the will of voters in the process.
Jim Paladino
Tampa, Fla.
To the editor:
In Tuesday’s 6-to-3 Supreme Court ruling in Moore v. Harper, the fact that a supermajority, including both Democratic and Republican appointees, reaffirmed the U.S. constitutional order is the latest example of Republican-appointed justices failing to the hip pocket of Donald Trump and the extreme right of the Republican Party.
This should provide comfort to those who believe in the separation of powers as prescribed in our Constitution.
John A. Viteritti
Laurel, New York
To the editor:
Adam Liptak writes about the Supreme Court ruling rightly rejecting the “independent legislature” theory.
The article quotes Richard L. Hasen, a UCLA law professor and leading suffrage scholar, as saying that the ruling that gives the Supreme Court the ultimate say in federal election disputes is “a bad, but not a terrible result.” ” used to be.
It seems globally accepted that legal disputes, including electoral disputes, should be settled by courts, and that in federal democracies the highest national courts are best placed to have the final say in federal election matters.
While it is common practice for politicians and lawyers around the world to reject international best practices based on the uniqueness of their legal systems, only the US Supreme Court can ensure consistency across states to protect the integrity of federal elections. .
Jury Toplak
New York
The author is a visiting professor at Fordham University School of Law.
To the editor:
Your article calls those Supreme Court justices whose opinions threaten voting rights and democracy “conservative.” The judges’ views are not ‘conservative’, as conservative refers to those who are committed to preserving traditional institutions, practices and values.
I would ask The Times to think of a better word to describe these judges, whose positions on legal issues are heavily influenced by considerations of the preservation of Republican rule, class structures and Christian ideological dominance.
Cindy Weinbaum
Atlanta
Race and class
To the editor:
Regarding “Reparations Must Be an End, Not a Beginning,” by John McWhorter (Opinion, June 26):
Providing support to those hurt by past discrimination is an important step in alleviating the damage caused by America’s long history of racism.
However, involving everyone who is economically disadvantaged in initiatives, as Professor McWhorter suggests, will increase support for affirmative action programs while helping more people who can lend a hand.
Ignoring this segment of the population has led to simmering resentment in many communities and to the election of Donald Trump in 2016.
Instead of turning groups against each other, we should strive to cheer the fallen, regardless of the cause of people’s suffering.
Edwin Andrews
Malden, Mass.
Apply for tax relief
To the editor:
Regarding “Property Taxes Could Be Halved for Older New Jersey Homeowners” (news article, June 22):
As a suburban homeowner in New York’s Nassau County, I find it reassuring to see that neighboring New Jersey is working hard to address the problem of high property taxes. It just approved a property tax reduction program for homeowners 65 and older called StayNJ, designed to offset some of the highest property taxes in the country.
New York State residents must require their elected officials to approve similar exemptions for their constituents, who also live in a state with high property taxes. We are still suffering from a $10,000 cap on state and local taxes on our federal income tax that was passed under former President Donald Trump.
Congress The Democrats promised to withdraw it as one of their legislative priorities and have so far failed to deliver on their promise. So it is up to us to demand action from the New York State Legislature.
Philip A Paoli Jr.
Seaford, New York
Make reading fun again
To the editor:
Regarding “13-year-olds in US record lowest test scores in decades” (news article, June 22):
The latest data on reading scores for 13-year-olds in the US is out, and it’s not good. Children’s reading levels are at their lowest level in decades.
In your article, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics states, “This is a huge challenge facing the nation.”
Indeed, we see this challenge every day in the faces of children in our homes, schools and communities. We are responding by strengthening instruction, tutoring, and summer education, all of which provide cause for hope.
But what struck me most about this story was that fewer children report reading for fun: 31 percent say they “never or almost never” read for fun, compared to 22 percent in 2012.
Could rekindling a love of reading and the joy of books be an answer we’re missing for this problem? Imagine each child having an abundant home library from birth, cuddling with a parent or reading a book under the covers.
At a time when our education system is struggling and life is difficult for so many children, let’s make reading fun again!
Mary Mathew
Durham, NC
The writer is advocacy director for Book Harvest, which provides children and families with books and literacy support.
The German far right should worry us all
Extremism fueled by xenophobia and a deep sense of nationalism in a country that carried out the systematic murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust is ominous and a serious threat to democracy.
With global anti-Semitism rising at an alarming rate and Nazism experiencing a disturbing resurgence, the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany and the political gains it has made are a proverbial red flag.
When extremism becomes normalized and gains a foothold in the mainstream political arena and people blatantly fuel the fires of bigotry, we have a social and moral obligation to sound the alarm.
N. Aaron Trodler
Bala Cynwyd, Pa.