Symone Sanders, an MSNBC personality, issued a strong cautionary message to her audience on Saturday, warning of a series of radical decisions that the Supreme Court was poised to make. According to her, these decisions would range from banning black history to granting daycares the right to deny Jewish children.
Having played a significant role in Joe Biden’s campaign and now serving as the primary spokesperson for Kamala Harris’ vice presidential campaign, Sanders emphasized that her statement was not an exaggeration. She firmly believed that the current composition of the court would exploit the cases before it to not only carry out these actions but also unleash even more alarming consequences.
Beginning her address, Sanders stated, “Last summer, the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, and that was just the beginning of the assault on our essential rights and freedoms.” She proceeded to list numerous cases and provided her speculations on the potential future impact of each.
Sanders expressed concern about an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on whether race should be a factor in college admissions, referring to the lawsuits brought by Students for Fair Admissions.
However, Sanders remarked that this court frequently crosses boundaries in its judgments. She asserted that these two cases had the potential to “upend affirmative action entirely,” explaining, “If the Supreme Court deems race-conscious decision-making and policies unconstitutional, it could jeopardize everything from special government contracts and programs for minority-owned businesses to targeted corporate recruitment at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)… Legislators might argue that fields like African American or Latino history are off-limits.”
Sanders then highlighted Moore v. Harper, a case addressing the authority of state legislatures to enact and enforce federal election laws within their jurisdictions, including the power to establish congressional districts.
She warned that efforts to challenge partisan gerrymandering in lower courts or override a governor’s veto would be futile if organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or Marc Elias were unable to file lawsuits to protect voters’ rights. Sanders even suggested the elimination of mail-in ballots if deemed unnecessary by state lawmakers.
Despite Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution already granting states this authority, with Congress having the power to rein in states that misuse it, Sanders continued her discourse.
Moreover, Sanders highlighted a potential ruling in favor of business owners’ right to refuse service based on a case involving a business owner who refused to bake wedding cakes or create wedding websites for same-sex couples due to religious beliefs.
Such a verdict could open the door to discrimination against not only the LGBTQ+ community but also others. Daycares, for instance, might use their First Amendment rights to deny service to families with Jewish or black children, should they choose to do so. Sanders emphasized that “privately owned restaurants in your area may have different policies regarding whom they serve.”
Given the court’s history, Sanders maintained that her concerns were far from unfounded. Quoting Dr. Maya Angelou, she stated, “When individuals show you who they are, believe them the first time.” With a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, Sanders urged everyone to brace themselves for significant rulings and the potential havoc they could wreak.