The Supreme Court Asks Why It Shouldn't Gut the Voting Rights Act

"Louisiana v. Callais reached the high court after a coalition of civil rights organizations and Black voters sought to reinstate a map that the state legislature had adopted in 2024. The map, which established a second majority-Black congressional district in the state, had been drawn in response to a 2022 U.S. district court ruling. In that case, the court ruled that a prior map, drawn in 2020, likely violated Section 2 because it included only one majority-Black district out of the state's six congressional districts."

"The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had affirmed the district court's ruling that the old map probably violated Section 2, and the appellate court ordered Louisiana to adopt a new map by January 15, 2024. The Louisiana Legislature complied and drew a map with a second majority-Black district. A group of self-described "non-African American" voters then filed a federal legal challenge to the 2024 map, alleging that it was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander because it separated voters primarily on the basi"

Louisiana v. Callais asks whether compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act violates the 14th or 15th Amendments and whether race may be considered in redistricting. A 2022 U.S. district court found that Louisiana’s 2020 congressional map likely violated Section 2 by providing only one majority-Black district among six, diluting Black voters who comprise about one-third of the state. The Fifth Circuit affirmed and ordered a new map by January 15, 2024. The legislature enacted a 2024 map creating a second majority-Black district. Non-African American voters sued, alleging an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The case could significantly narrow or invalidate Section 2 protections.

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