"Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prevents states from discriminating by race or color to prevent voting. So if the Supreme Court strikes down Section 2, as it is considering, any equally populated House district is fair game, at least as far as federal law is concerned. There would be no federal law that might deter a 38-0 Texas congressional map that unanimously elected Republicans, or a 52-0 map in California with nothing but Democrats."
"Legally speaking, it's the only thing stopping extreme gerrymandering, as described by Nate Cohn and Jonah Smith: To be clear, such extreme gerrymanders are unlikely for a host of reasons. But the point isn't that these two extreme maps are likely; it's that they might soon be legal. And while states may not go this far, they may nonetheless be tempted to push toward more extreme maps than ever before."
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act blocks states from using race or color to restrict voting and serves as the primary federal barrier to extreme gerrymandering. If Section 2 is struck down, federal law would no longer prevent drawing equally populated House districts that systematically exclude or consolidate racial groups. That could allow maps that produce unanimous single-party delegations, such as a hypothetical 38-0 map in Texas or a 52-0 map in California. Such extreme outcomes are unlikely for many reasons, but they could become legally permissible and might tempt states to pursue more aggressive mapmaking.
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