The media seemed surprised by Milligan and Moore. But in Milligan, it’s hard to see how they could have completely gutted the rest of the Voting Rights Act without places like Alabama completely stripping Black voters of their ability to elect legislators.
And in Moore, the idea that the court would voluntarily give up the ability to hear disputes over state laws regarding federal elections seems contrary to the general direction of the court and the executive hording power while Congress fights amongst itself. (The fact that the executive and the Supreme Court are controlled by one party or the other while the Congress is divided plays only some part of that.)
Students for Fair Admissions, Incorporated was a different case altogether. The sad fact is that America needs more universities. More supply to lower prices. America needs to move away from the notion of prestige education. When the call goes up in the restaurant or on the plane, “Is there a doctor in the house?” “Is there a doctor on board?” Nobody is asking for a Harvard doctor. If two respond, nobody is checking what school they attended.
For centuries the wealthy and the lucky have used the brand name of their education as though it stands for something more than wealth or luck. If there were Harvard-educated plumbers, would you really want to pay the premium price for them to fix a leak? I would not.
In that view, I see cases like this one as prestige assholes arguing about who should get in the club. To hell with the club. We need universal education, not to waste time on the assholes and their clubs.