This is a little different. When it comes to “emergency” things like this, coming up from one of the Federal courts, they first go to a single judge to decide how to proceed. This suit was raised in Texas, which happens to be a judicial district which Alito oversees.

So while he did make an individual ruling reinstating the map, his job is also to help facilitate the emergency hearing with the full court. He asked for briefs by Monday, which is an indication he wants this over with quickly. (But, I think the alacrity is because he knows the fix is already in, and has enough votes among his fellow justices to uphold the new map, and they are just trying to make the justification work after the fact.)

But like other emergency orders coming from the SCOTUS, we will just hear about a decision, and not necessarily the overall vote. But I expect that one of the Liberal judges already has her dissent written, since she knows how it will likely end up.

That’s mean to rats!

If Alito can solo allow the ratfucking in Texas to occur, then Justice Jackson can absolutely decline any appeals to the California ruling I would think.