Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana's Second Black-Majority Congressional District
Supreme Court strikes Louisiana's second Black-majority district, allows expedited redistricting before midterms.
Event / Politics
US Voting Rights Act Challenges
Supreme Court expedites Louisiana voting rights case, allowing the state to redraw congressional districts to reduce minority representation by invoking partisan advantage considerations.
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2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 5 May, 06:06 UTC
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What happened
Conservative Supreme Court majority guts key Voting Rights Act provision
The conservative majority on the Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, ruling that states, including those with histories of discrimination against Black voters, can use their interest in entrenching partisan advantage as a legal defense when accused of diluting minority votes.
Supreme Court strikes down congressional map with second Black-majority district in Louisiana
In its April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's congressional map as unconstitutional because it included a second Black-majority district. The ruling effectively allows states to use partisan advantage as a defense when accused of diluting minority votes.
Supreme Court grants expedited effect to Louisiana redistricting ruling
The Supreme Court on Monday granted Louisiana's request to allow last week's major voting rights ruling to take effect immediately, bypassing the standard 32-day waiting period for certification and transmission to a lower court. This expedited action enables Louisiana to suspend its ongoing primary election and redraw congressional districts.
Justice Jackson and Justice Alito exchange sharply worded opinions
Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the Supreme Court's decision to allow Louisiana's redistricting ruling to take effect immediately, calling it an unwarranted bypass of normal practices. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito responded with a sharply worded opinion, describing Jackson's reasoning as "baseless and insulting" and her charge of judicial abuse as "a groundless and utterly irresponsible charge."
Louisiana seeks to redraw congressional districts before midterm election
Louisiana has sought to suspend its ongoing primary election to redraw congressional districts to take advantage of the Supreme Court's voting rights ruling. The state aims to use a new map for the current year's midterm election. The current map includes two majority-Black congressional districts held by Democrats and four seats held by Republicans.
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