Overview

• During reargument, several conservative justices suggested the Louisiana map’s second majority-Black district may have relied too heavily on race and indicated interest in narrowing how Section 2 applies to redistricting.
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh pressed for an “endpoint” to race-based remedies, and multiple justices discussed requiring stronger showings by plaintiffs, including proposals tied to intent and stricter illustrative-district tests.
• Louisiana reversed its earlier stance and now urges the Court to forbid race-conscious map-drawing, a position supported on separate grounds by the Trump Justice Department.
• The case stems from a court-ordered map adding a second Black-majority district after a Section 2 suit, which was later struck down by a three-judge panel for making race the predominant factor.
• A decision could reshape maps before the 2026 midterms and reduce minority-opportunity districts, with advocacy groups projecting double-digit U.S. House seats potentially affected.