Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
3d ago

Supreme Court Signals Review of Voting Rights Act Section 2 in Louisiana Case

The court’s weekend filing asked parties to address whether creating a second majority-Black district breaches a colorblind constitutional principle

Sprinklers water the lawn in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on the morning of April 29, 2024.
Justices of the Supreme Court pose for their official photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on October 7, 2022.
Image

Overview

  • The Supreme Court issued a technical briefing order over the August weekend in Louisiana v. Callais, seeking arguments on whether adding a second majority-Black district under Section 2 violates a colorblind approach.
  • The order suggests justices are prepared to consider invalidating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which ensures minority voters equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
  • Louisiana’s GOP-led legislature enacted a post-2020 census map over the Democratic governor’s veto that left only one majority-Black district, triggering the Callais challenge as a racial gerrymander under the Equal Protection Clause.
  • Legal experts warn the court’s decision to file the order off-hours deepens concerns about procedural opacity in its handling of race-based redistricting cases.
  • Striking down Section 2 could transform congressional and state elections across the country and ignite civil rights protests ahead of the 2026 midterms.