
Patrick Smith’s new animated short explains the radical “independent state legislature theory” an lays out why it is so dangerous to democracy. On December 7, 2022, the Supreme Court will hear a North Carolina case that hinges on this radical theory and a “wrongheaded” reading of the Constitution. If SCOTUS accepts the theory, state legislatures could gerrymander and suppress votes without the traditional limitations imposed by governors, state judges, and state constitutions, all undermining civil and political rights.