A Supreme Court stacked with McConnell nominees overruled the CDC allowing landlords to evict thousands of families during a pandemic. Judicial activism now defines health policy.
Republicans at the same time push racist voter suppression bills that make it harder for the evicted and the poor to vote. How do the rich get richer during a pandemic while the poor are made homeless and blocked from voting? How are evictions, racism and voter suppression connected? Follow the money...
“The Surgeon General is authorized to make regulations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases ... and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary.” - Public Health Service Act
“The Supreme Court failed to protect the 11 million households across our country from violent eviction in the middle of a deadly global pandemic,” said Representative Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat who slept on the steps of the Capitol this month to protest the expiration of the previous moratorium. “We already know who is going to bear the brunt of this disastrous decision: Black and brown communities, and especially Black women.” - NY Times
These two DemLabs infographics make it easier to understand the greed, racism and voter suppression behind the eviction decision
- Where are people are most at risk of evictions by mapping the poverty level, minorities and number of renters by county
- Relationship map that follows the money from wealthy donors to Republicans who appoint judges that weaken voting rights and rule for the rich
Pass the FOR THE PEOPLE ACT to prevent the rich from exploiting the poor and funding politicians who use voter suppression to prevent to cling to power and block an reform.
Judicial activism defining COVID health policies
“The Surgeon General is authorized to make regulations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases ... and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary.” - Public Health Service Act
The C.D.C. banned evictions because it would accelerate the spread of the coronavirus, by forcing people “to move, often into close quarters with friends or family, or homeless shelters.” - NY Times
Brett Kavanaugh, wrote that he believed CDC lacked authority to order it. - AL.com
Supreme Court judges have a lifetime appointment. Who are they accountable to if their decisions harm the public and result in deaths?
Racism, greed and politics behind evictions
Who is most likely to get evicted? Was Rep. Cori Bush right that “Black and brown communities, and especially Black women.” would suffer the most?
Landlords from Alabama asked the Courts to allow evictions. Click on the map to see how the Supreme Court's decision might impact the families in Dallas County, Alabama. See how r race, poverty and number of rental units in a county.
Follow the relationships
Who makes the legal decisions matters. Mitch McConnell blocked Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court for over a year but rushed Amy Barrett's nomination just weeks before the 2020 election. Barrett along with two other McConnell Supreme Court nominees, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch voted to let landlords proceed with evictions.
"McConnell changed the rules of the Senate — to lower that threshold on Supreme Court nominations to end debate from 60 to 51 votes. The change did not affect the legislative filibuster. By essentially eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees ... all presidential nominees will now face a far easier path navigating through the Senate confirmation process. It also could make it easier for presidents to appoint more overtly partisan justices to the Supreme Court." - NPR
Justice Roberts opened the floodgates to dark money in his Citizens United ruling and voter suppression in Shelby vs Holder. This allows groups like the Nationals Association of Relators to donate heavily to Republicans and for Republican state legislators to pass more voter suppression bills.
Public corporations profiting from evictions
Representative James E. Clyburn (D-SC), the chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, announced that he plans to investigate four corporate landlords that have evicted tenants in high numbers and “were particularly aggressive in going after lower-income tenants and Black and Latino renters.” - Popular Info
Blackrock and the Vanguard Group are major investors in Invitation Homes, one of the firms being questioned for racist evictions. What social responsibility do they bear while role do they have in financing such actions?
Mapping evictions, greed, racism, judicial activism and voter suppression
The icons used in this the relationship map can be freely accessed and used from here.