Overview

• The Supreme Court’s August 1 order calls for supplemental briefs on whether Louisiana’s 2024 map adding a second majority-Black district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments or exceeds Section 2’s constitutional scope, with rearguments set for October 15.
• A Fifth Circuit panel rejected Louisiana’s bid to nullify Section 2 or block private enforcement and upheld a lower court finding that the state’s legislative maps packed and cracked Black communities in violation of federal law.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney Stuart Naifeh argues that the remedial map corrects a previous vote-dilution violation and preserves Black Louisianans’ opportunity to elect candidates of choice.
• Legal precedent from Allen v. Milligan and Justice Kavanaugh’s partial concurrence are central to the case, but conservative justices including Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch and Barrett have questioned the longevity of race-conscious remedies.
• Advocates warn that a ruling against race-based districting could undermine Section 2 nationwide and reshape minority representation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.