A Supreme Court ruling could bring historic drop in Black representation in Congress

"Its provisions have also boosted the number of seats in the House of Representatives filled by Black lawmakers. That's largely because in many Southern states where voting is often polarized between a Republican-supporting white majority and a Democratic-supporting Black minority political mapmakers have drawn a certain kind of district to get in line with the Voting Rights Act's Section 2 provisions."

"But at an October hearing last year for the redistricting case about Louisiana's congressional map, the Supreme Court's conservative majority appeared inclined to issue this year another in a series of decisions that have weakened the Voting Rights Act this time its Section 2 protections in redistricting. That kind of ruling could put at risk at least 15 House districts currently represented by a Black member of Congress, an NPR analysis has found."

The United States could face the largest-ever decline in Black congressional representation depending on a Supreme Court redistricting decision involving the Voting Rights Act. For decades the Voting Rights Act protected the collective voting power of racial minorities and increased the number of Black-held House seats. In many Southern states with polarized voting, mapmakers created districts where minority voters are numerous enough to realistically elect preferred candidates, aligning with Section 2. At an October hearing the Court's conservative majority appeared inclined to further weaken Section 2 protections in redistricting. A ruling weakening Section 2 could imperil at least 15 House districts represented by Black members, with additional Missouri and Texas redistricting potentially raising that number, and the partisan impact of Republican-led legislatures preserving or eliminating certain Democratic-represented districts remains uncertain.

Read at www.npr.org