U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Voting Rights Act Section 2, Louisiana Redistricting Fight Escalates

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down an essential part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in a 6-3 decision, siding with plaintiffs against the state of Louisiana over a second majority-Black district. The ruling, issued after the Court sided with the plaintiffs against Louisiana for creating a second majority-Black district, opens the door for Republicans to redraw electoral districts controlled by their opponents, especially in the South. The Court’s majority opinion was written by Samuel Alito, who said, "Section 2 was designed to strengthen the Constitution, not to conflict with it." Elena Kagan read her separate opinion aloud and said, "This is a demolition of the Voting Rights Act."

Politico described the decision as triggering a renewed redistricting arms race, with states rushing to redraw maps ahead of the midterms while legal challenges remain pending in some places. Politico said eight states have already enacted new maps ahead of the midterms, giving Republicans a narrow edge at this point in the redistricting war. In Louisiana, Politico reported that GOP Gov. Jeff Landry delayed his state’s House primary elections on Thursday in order to redraw the state’s map. Vox framed the ruling as effectively repealing a 1982 amendment that required some states to draw a minimum number of majority-Black or majority-Latino legislative districts, writing that "effectively repealed a 1982 amendment" and that the decision "has already kicked off another round of skirmishes in the gerrymandering wars."

The stakes described by Politico include which party will control the House during the final two years of Donald Trump’s second term, with Fox News saying, "at stake in this redistricting showdown is which party will control the House." Fox News also reported that Louisiana’s map was ruled unconstitutional and that the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that its decision should go into effect immediately, breaking with its usual procedure of waiting roughly a month. In Tennessee and Alabama, Fox News said lawmakers began meeting in special sessions to work on new congressional district maps, with Alabama’s changes requiring Supreme Court approval and Fox News noting Alabama is currently prohibited by the high court from redistricting until 2030. The New Republic added that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tapped Representative Joe Morelle to lead redistricting efforts in New York after the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in Louisiana v. Callais, and it quoted Jeffries’s directive that districts be redrawn "for the balance of the decade."