politics
Supreme Court Rules on Voting Rights Act Section 2 in Louisiana Case
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that limits challenges to congressional maps under the Voting Rights Act, invalidating Louisiana's map and halting its House primaries. Several Republican-led states are now moving to redraw districts for the 2026 midterms and beyond, potentially shifting seats toward the GOP.
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais on the scope of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in redistricting challenges. The decision, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, requires plaintiffs to show that race was the predominant factor in map-drawing and that the map cannot be justified by traditional districting criteria.
According to the Washington Examiner, the ruling invalidates Louisiana’s congressional map that had included a second majority-Black district drawn under prior Voting Rights Act litigation. Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry declared an emergency and halted the May 16 House primaries.
Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order directing lawmakers to pass a new map and set a revised election timeline.
Gov. ” In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee announced a special legislative session to review the congressional map. Sen. Marsha Blackburn urged redrawing to add a Republican seat in Memphis. President Donald Trump spoke with Lee and encouraged changes to gain an additional Republican seat.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called a special session starting May 20, initially for judicial districts but potentially expanding to congressional maps. Republican strategists indicated possible redrawing of the 2nd Congressional District, held by Rep.
Bennie Thompson, to create another Republican-leaning seat. Thompson’s district is the only Democratic-held seat in Mississippi’s delegation.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey reversed her earlier stance and called a special session to redraw maps, aiming to revert to 2023 congressional lines if court injunctions are lifted. She also plans to consider special elections for congressional and state senate seats.
In Florida, a new map backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis cleared the legislature. DeSantis’s general counsel, David Axelman, argued that prior court mandates improperly emphasized race in districting. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the ruling will not affect the 2026 elections due to ongoing early voting through May 15, but new maps will be needed before 2028.
