Supreme Court Again Rejects Alabama Congressional Map With Just One Majority-Black District

NBC News’ Lawrence Hurley reports that the Supreme Court has rejected Alabama Republicans’ proposed congressional map with only one majority-Black district for the second time in three months. The most recent GOP-led redistricting effort again included only one district where “Black voters are likely to be able to elect a candidate of their choosing” after two separate lower court rulings as well as the Supreme Court called for an additional minority-Black district. The 2022 PRRI American Values Survey found that Black (74%) and Hispanic (70%) Americans overwhelmingly support Congress passing a voting rights law to guarantee every citizen access to the ballot, as do six in ten white Americans (59%).

“Unconstitutionally Vague” Federal Judge Smacks Down Texas’s Drag Ban

Tori Otten at The New Republic reports that a federal judge has ruled Texas’s drag ban law unconstitutional, permanently blocking all state officials from enforcing the measure. Texas became the fourth Republican-led state to enact such a ban in June. Opponents argued the legislation’s vague wording targeted LGBTQ people, though it did not explicitly reference drag. PRRI research finds that more than a third of LGBTQ Americans live in the South (36%).

‘Sound of Freedom’ and the Media Fueling Belief in America’s ‘Special Role’ in Human History

In a new Spotlight Analysis, PRRI Public Fellow Leah Payne writes about the box office success of “Sound of Freedom,” and other movies that have promoted American and religious exceptionalism in recent decades. PRRI finds that in 2022, the percentage of white evangelical Protestants who agree that “God has granted America a special role in human history” was much higher than the general population of the United States (68% vs. 43%). This Spotlight looks at how evangelical and Latter-day Saint filmmakers have successfully introduced films for conservative audiences to the general market, bringing their messaging about America’s special role in God’s plan with them, and garnering surprisingly high profits.

Auburn Coaches Performed Baptisms. Religious Freedom Conflict Followed

Kelsey Dallas at Desert News writes that Auburn University is currently facing a battle over religious freedom after prominent university leaders and coaches participated in a “Unite Auburn” worship event in which around 100 students were baptized in a lake. In response, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter raising legal concerns with the university. PRRI’s Christian Nationalism survey found that 73% of Americans support religious pluralism, expressing a preference for a nation with religious diversity rather than a nation primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith (27%).

What’s Buzzing?

Read PRRI’s new spotlight “‘Sound of Freedom’ and the Media Fueling Belief in America’s ‘Special Role’ in Human History” here.