Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana’s Voting Rights Act Map in 6-3 Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a significant setback to the Voting Rights Act, striking down Louisiana’s redrawn congressional map in a 6-3 decision along ideological lines. The ruling, issued on Wednesday, declared the map unconstitutional for prioritizing race in its creation.

In Louisiana v. Callais, the Court ruled that the state was not required to create an additional majority-minority district under the Voting Rights Act. The majority opinion, authored by Justice Samuel Alito and joined by the five other conservative justices, stated:

“Because the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, no compelling interest justified the State’s use of race in creating SB8, and that map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”

Justice Elena Kagan dissented, joined by the two other liberal justices.

Following the 2020 census, Louisiana’s legislature drew a new voting map that initially produced only one majority-Black district. A group of Black voters sued, arguing the map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting. A federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with the voters, ordering Louisiana to redraw the map.

The revised map included two majority-Black districts. However, a group of voters identifying as “non-African-American” challenged the new map, claiming it relied on race and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. A federal panel initially blocked the map, but the Supreme Court paused the decision, allowing Louisiana to use it temporarily.

The Supreme Court’s decision has far-reaching implications. It not only impacts future election outcomes in Louisiana but also weakens the ability to challenge discriminatory voting practices under the Voting Rights Act. As noted in a 1982 report from the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the Act prohibits discrimination against minority groups through measures such as “unusually large election districts.”