Black voters in Southern states fear the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened voting rights protections has set the stage for a return to the 1950s and ’60s in terms of representation and the weakening of Black voting power. The ruling is the latest fallout from the Supreme Court’s April 29 decision eroding a key […]
Brandon Tensley
Brandon Tensley is Capital B's national politics reporter.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
After Being Forced Out by Trump, Black Federal Officials Are Taking Him to Court
In 1995, Alvin Brown’s grandparents became two of the 40,000 people who die in car crashes each year. They were going to a funeral service when their van crashed along Interstate 95 South near Manning, South Carolina. After their vehicle hydroplaned, a design flaw caused its doors to open, and they were ejected from the […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Voting
Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Vote That Was About Representation and Power
ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down the state’s April 21 redistricting ballot measure that voters had approved and that would have helped Democrats to pick up four additional seats and bolstered Black political power in Congress. The 4-3 ruling comes just two days after the FBI raided the offices of Democratic […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Louisiana Exoneree Wins Election, Then Gets Blocked From Taking Office on First Day
Calvin Duncan was supposed to start on May 4 overseeing the criminal court in New Orleans after a federal judge blocked the state from eliminating the position. But less than an hour later, a higher court intervened, halting that decision at the state’s request. Five months after Duncan secured 68% of the vote to become […]
Posted inNews, Politics & Policy
Supreme Court Ruling Threatens Black Voting Power Beyond Louisiana
Louisiana resident Press Robinson wasn’t surprised by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on Wednesday to strike down the state’s new majority-Black district. But he was deeply disappointed. “They’re determined to see to it that we don’t have a voice at all,” Robinson, a participant in the case, said Wednesday, referring to Louisiana political leaders. […]
Posted inNews, Politics & Policy
A Sudden Resignation Leaves Florida’s Blackest Congressional District in Limbo
Constituents of Florida’s heavily Black 20th Congressional District must now navigate a volatile political moment, as U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat who represented the district since 2022, resigned on Tuesday. The surprise announcement came just ahead of a hearing when the House Ethics Committee was scheduled to formally recommend disciplinary action over an investigation […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
Justin Fairfax, Once a Rising Political Star, Kills Wife in Murder-Suicide
ARLINGTON, Virginia — Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who was the second Black American to hold that office in the state, fatally shot his estranged wife, Cerina Fairfax, and then himself at their home, police said. The couple’s two teenage children were at the Annandale home, just outside of Washington, at the time, and […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Religion
Trump’s Clash With the Pope Is Raising Alarm in Black Churches
Religion is being weaponized — and some Christians are outraged. This was one of the main takeaways from the Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain’s group chat with other Chicago faith leaders following President Donald Trump’s tirade against Pope Leo XIV. Trump this week accused Leo of being “terrible for Foreign Policy” and “WEAK on crime” because of […]
Posted inEquity, Politics & Policy
Black Service Members Warn Military Is Moving Backward
A troubling notion has gripped some Black current and former service members: The U.S. military — long seen as a pathway to opportunity in Black communities — seems to be drifting backward, toward a more segregated time. “[Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] came into office promising to turn the military into a color-blind meritocracy — it is […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Black Americans Warn Trump’s Threat to Iran Risks Dangerous Escalation
President Donald Trump may have announced a temporary ceasefire just 90 minutes before his deadline that the U.S. would annihilate Iran if it didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Still, hours earlier, Black political and community leaders criticized the president’s handling of the war in recent weeks. Some had called his most recent comments about […]