Overview

• The Supreme Court on August 1 asked parties to file supplemental briefs on whether creating a second majority-Black district under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act violates the 14th Amendment or the 15th Amendment.
• Louisiana’s current congressional map, used in the 2024 elections, was drawn to include two majority-Black districts after a lower court found its one-district plan likely diluted Black voting strength.
• Civil rights groups led by the Legal Defense Fund won the initial challenge, arguing that Black residents—about a third of the state’s population—deserved proportional representation under federal law.
• A coalition led by Phillip Callais countered that the 2024 map constituted unconstitutional racial gerrymandering in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
• Supplemental briefs are due by late September and early October ahead of a ruling that could limit the use of race-conscious remedies nationwide.