Yesterday, conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas appeared to do something quite unusual: He sided with his more “liberal” justices, and cast the deciding vote. It was a triumph of principle over politics.

The court ruled 5 to 3 that North Carolina violated the US Constitution by using racial gerrymandering to create two congressional districts. The landmark case reaffirmed that political parties can’t use race as the basis for creating a contorted map or district of voters. In the 1990s, Democrats tried to use redistricting as a form of affirmative action for blacks. At the time, Justice Thomas said it was wrong. In another case in 2001, Thomas  said it was wrong, as he notes in a concurring opinion. This latest case was about Republicans using racial redistricting to empower white Republicans. Once again, Thomas said this was wrong.  

On this issue, Thomas is both a model of consistency as well as a champion of the constitutional principle of equality.

Here are our five stories for today – and a view from our editorial board on the concert attack last night in the city of Manchester, England.