SCOTUS Decision Weakens Key Part of Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Louisiana's second majority Black congressional district, in a decision that could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress. The court's conservative majority found that the district, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race, per the AP. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a "snake" that stretches more than 200 miles to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge areas. "That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander," Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the six conservatives.

The decision weakens a landmark voting rights law's protections against discrimination in redistricting. It's unclear how much is left of the provision, known as Section 2, the main way to challenge racially discriminatory election practices. Not much, Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a dissent for the three liberal justices. "The consequences are likely to be far-reaching and grave. Today's decision renders Section 2 all but a dead letter," Kagan wrote. The 1965 voting rights law, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, succeeded in opening the ballot box to Black Americans and reducing persistent discrimination in voting.

Nearly 70 of the 435 congressional districts are protected by Section 2, election law expert Nicholas Stephanopoulos has estimated. The court heard the case for a second time in October, and it's not clear whether the decision was issued early enough for some states, including Louisiana, to consider a new round of redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, in which Republicans are trying to preserve a thin majority. Per the New York Times, at least one governor, Mississippi's Tate Reeves, had hinted that he would quickly call a special session to explore redistricting after the SCOTUS decision was handed down.

President Trump had already touched off a nationwide redistricting battle to boost Republican chances, per the AP. Legislatures already are free to draw extremely partisan districts due to a 2019 Supreme Court decision. The court did an about-face from a decision in a similar case from Alabama less than three years ago that led to a new congressional map for the state that sent two Black Democrats to Congress. The Alabama decision also prompted Louisiana lawmakers to add a second majority Black district. About a third of Louisianans are Black, and they now form majorities in two of the state's six congressional districts. Alabama has a separate appeal pending at the Supreme Court.