President Trump says the ruling was a personal betrayal of his objectives to limit access to the franchise while opinion polls reveal that the “Make America Great Again” Republican tendency has proven to be extremely unpopular

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It has become quite obvious that there is massive opposition to the domestic and foreign policies of the current White House, House of Representatives and the Senate.

Compounding this alienation from the MAGA Republican establishment is what is perceived by many within the public that the nine-member United States Supreme Court serves as a mechanism to “rubber stamp” the program of President Donald Trump.

There have been rulings in recent years which have struck down Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within the higher educational system along with the 2022 decision which reversed Roe v. Wade making it much more difficult for women to control their reproductive rights. Another ruling on tariffs imposed by the White House says they were illegally enacted yet, utilizing other methods, the president continues to slap these measures on Canada and other states.

In the most recent decision related to the rules governing the distribution and collection of mail-in ballots, the Supreme Court rejected the executive order handed down by Trump which could have resulted in the nullification of millions of votes in the upcoming midterm elections in early November. The MAGA grouping has over the last decade made unsubstantiated claims that there is massive voter fraud in the US.

Trump and his MAGA base disputed the outcomes of the 2020 elections fostering false accusations that the election of former President Joe Biden and the Democratic majority in the House and Senate was the direct result of corruption. The administration and its backers have repeatedly suggested that undocumented people are being allowed to vote in congressional and presidential elections.

The accusations of widespread voter fraud in 2020 outraged and energized the MAGA constituency to the level of igniting an insurrection on January 6, 2021. On that fateful day where several thousands Trump supporters sought to seize control of Capitol Hill demanding that the Congress and Vice-President Mike Pence refuse to certify the electoral votes which would bring about a Biden presidency.

This effort inevitably failed although it was reported that five law-enforcement officers died and 174 were injured, including 15 being hospitalized. Four of  the insurrectionists died during the attacks which lasted several hours. In the aftermath of the failed coup, over 1,500 of the insurrectionists were charged and convicted of federal crimes. Nonetheless, those convicted of crimes related to January 6 were pardoned by Trump in the immediate aftermath of being sworn in for his second non-consecutive term in January 2025.

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In the months leading up to the January 6 incident, the Trump campaign hired former lawyer and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to go around the US seeking to discredit electors committed to vote for the Democratic contender Joe Biden. There were efforts made to spread slander and falsehoods about election commissioners and volunteers to make it appear as if they were either incompetent or corrupt.

Consequently, it is not surprising that the MAGA President and his allies would repeat similar shenanigans in 2026 in light of the abysmal performance of the administration since January 2025. There has been a precipitous decline in the economy while the launching of an unprovoked war along with Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran has further damaged the potential for the Republican lawmakers to maintain control of the House of Representatives and Senate in the aftermath of November 3.

The Supreme Court Decision on Mail-in Voting

Although millions of people of all races, classes and ages vote by mail it is clear that the motivation for these attacks on this long-held method of casting ballots is to create the conditions for the disenfranchisement of millions of people. Therefore, any threat to the dominance of MAGA in the Congress can be prevented by simply tossing out the votes of those individuals who are deemed to be unqualified.

These are by no means new tactics in voter suppression. During the period of Federal Reconstruction in the aftermath of the Civil War (1861-1865), the formerly enslaved Africans won the right to the franchise through several bills and measures enacted by the Congress. The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution along with several Civil Acts passed between 1865-1875 were designed to prevent the resurrection of the Confederacy in the South.

Yet by 1877, Federal Reconstruction had been abandoned and the same political forces which had led the insurrection beginning in 1860-1861 to maintain African enslavement reemerged as the dominant authorities in the former Confederate states. It would take nearly another 90 years to force the government to pass legislation that would guarantee African Americans the right to the franchise.

During the 1950s and 1960s mass struggles to end Jim Crow segregation and the suppression of voting rights were waged by the African American people and their allies. These popular and legal movements won the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of 1964-1965.

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Nonetheless, these political gains have never been accepted as legitimate by large sections of the US population. The emergence of several white supremacist tendencies has levelled attacks on the rights of African Americans and other nationally oppressed groups over the decades since the 1970s.

The MAGA grouping now controlling the White House and Congress have been instrumental in this suppression of the political rights of the oppressed. However, people have been utilizing various tactics to overcome these attempted reversals of the advancements made over the last seven decades.

As the SCOTUS has handed down rulings which facilitate the redrawing Congressional maps during early 2026 in several key states within the South, African Americans have mobilized to challenge these undemocratic measures. This arbitrary redistricting is aimed at the further disempowerment of the oppressed peoples.

As it relates to the latest SCOTUS decision, the Washington Post wrote on September 15 that it was not clear what the count was among members of the court. This can be the situation when it involves an “emergency docket.”

In a report written by Isaac Arnsdorf and Laura Meckler for the Washington Post, noted that:

“President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted the Supreme Court justices he appointed after they ruled against him on mail ballots, tariffs and birthright citizenship, portraying their decisions as a personal betrayal…. Although Trump blamed all three of his appointees for ruling against him, the court’s ruling did not specify a vote count, leaving some question about precisely how many justices were in the majority…. Meanwhile, voting rights groups — who have warned for months about the chaos Trump’s new mail ballot rules would bring — celebrated the Supreme Court ruling. But many also pointed out the legal fight will likely leave some voters confused about whether it is possible or safe to vote by mail.” 

The actions of the Court on September 15 still left more than six weeks until the election day on November 3. Whether this issue is settled for the midterms will largely depend upon the administration which will continue its efforts to secure a continued majority in Congress.

A Pattern of Repression

The suppression of voting rights for African Americans and other constituencies which may not agree with the MAGA project is just one aspect of repressive policies of the current administration. Attacks on migrants which have created the conditions for a police state in many cities, towns and rural areas of the US have implications on a much broader level within society.

There has also been the targeted prosecution of activists that strongly disagree with the Trump program within the areas of immigration enforcement, Palestine solidarity and imperialist wars in various geopolitical regions of the world. Judging from the MAGA attempts to overturn the 2020 national elections, it would not be out of character to witness another push in the same direction before or after November 3.

People committed to bourgeois democratic principles in the US will remain vigilant during the remaining two years of the current administration. Although the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution restricts presidents to two terms, Trump and his supporters have broached the notion of another four years for the administration.

Therefore, there are calls for mass demonstrations and days of action leading up to the November 3 vote. Another “No Kings Day” is scheduled for late October to bring out millions across the country to protest against the dictatorial policies of the Trump White House and Congress.

If the administration continues its present political trajectory, more militant and sustainable efforts could be required. Many have raised the prospects for a nationwide general strike to prevent a coup directed by the White House and Pentagon.

Irrespective of the outcome of the elections, the underlying crisis of US capitalism will not be resolved. Discussions, debates and organizing activities need to occur aimed at building a movement aimed at the total transformation of society which would bring about the complete emancipation of oppressed and working people in the US.

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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).

Featured image: Detroit says Black and Brown votes matter, Nov. 2020 (All images in this article are from the author)

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