Today's five.

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected Gov. Greg Abbott's emergency petition to remove Democratic legislators who fled the state last summer to block a mid-decade redistricting effort. The all-Republican court ruled the action was not necessary, shutting down Abbott's attempt to penalize the dozens of House Democrats who staged the walkout. Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court also declined Friday to reinstate a Virginia congressional map backed by Democrats, ruling without any noted dissent that Democrats had not followed proper procedures — a decision that would have given the party a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives amid the ongoing national redistricting battle.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, commuted the sentence of Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted of tampering with voting and records equipment after the 2020 election, cutting her roughly nine-year sentence in half and making her eligible for parole on June 1. Peters, the first local official convicted over efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election, was found guilty in 2024 of four felonies and three misdemeanors after allowing unauthorized individuals to access her county's voting systems. Polis cited the length of the sentence for a first-time, nonviolent offender as justification. The decision drew swift condemnation from prominent Colorado Democrats, including the attorney general, secretary of state, and a former governor, who warned the commutation sends the wrong message about election integrity.

On May 15, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. Morrison, a landmark ruling that continues to draw commentary and debate in legal circles. The case remains a reference point in ongoing discussions about the scope of federal power and constitutional limits. Coverage of the anniversary appears primarily in outlets with a libertarian or right-leaning orientation, reflecting broader ongoing debates over the Supreme Court's role and direction. The decision's legacy intersects with current tensions surrounding the Court, which commentators across the political spectrum continue to assess for its long-term implications on the boundaries of federal legislative authority.