# SCOTUS: skin color is reasonable suspicion **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 8, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotus-skin-color-is-reasonable-suspicion/1022854 "2025-09-08T17:15:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotus-skin-color-is-reasonable-suspicion/1022854/61 "2025-09-09T22:47:09Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > So, fourteen months from now, not only is Trump going to control all American news gathering media outlets, he’s also going to have locked down the Internet so that I can’t use a VPN to check out Reuters and the BBC? > > Trump is consolidating power with unusual speed. But no dictator, no matter how brilliant, can consolidate power that fast. Look at how long it took Putin and Erdoğan to control the media. America can not be that much weaker of a democracy than newer democracies. Was originally going to dispute the first paragraph, but @Euphonious_Polemic did a really great job of that upthread, so I’ll continue on to the rest. This isn’t about, or even Needing mass arrests, or even the short term detention @Euphonious_Polemic suggested. All it has to do is make people avoid _showing up_ to vote because they’re afraid of being arrested, harassed, or otherwise punished. If they don’t show up to vote, accomplished without said arrests. As for mail-in-voting, states that still allow it are mostly blue write offs anyway. No need to worry there. It even helps with the point of keeping the appearance of fair elections. Trump or his stand-ins aren’t going to win in deep blue states anyway, and that way he always has someone to blame. As long as he minimizes risks in potentially winnable states for (D) it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2025, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotus-skin-color-is-reasonable-suspicion/1022854/62 "2025-09-10T11:35:11Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > This isn’t about, or even Needing mass arrests, or even the short term detention @Euphonious_Polemic suggested. All it has to do is make people avoid _showing up_ to vote because they’re afraid of being arrested, harassed, or otherwise punished. If they don’t show up to vote, accomplished without said arrests. If that’s all, then I’m not sure if this ruling actually made a difference. I don’t think Trump needed this ruling to be able to do “just” voter intimidation without actual arrests. I’m sure that if you get a tape measure out, you could easily figure out the minimum distance to technically stay within existing law. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotus-skin-color-is-reasonable-suspicion/1022854/63 "2025-09-10T19:23:20Z")
In and of itself, no, it’s not making a large difference in terms of voter suppression - though I’m sure there are people who are now _more_ afraid and hesitant which is still a win for their side. Rather, it is a part of testing how far the courts will let him go (there have been a few times the SCOTUS didn’t give him everything he wants after all), and building ever more tools to accomplish the net autocratic/MAG oligarchy goals. It’s still bad law, bad precedent, and one move shovel-full of earth into the grave of actual representative American government. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotus-skin-color-is-reasonable-suspicion/1022854.md?page=3)