Supreme Court Agrees to Expedite Louisiana v. Callais Case

The Supreme Court issued an order on May 5, 2026, to waive the default 32-day period under Supreme Court Rule 45.3 before transmitting its judgment and opinion in Louisiana v. Callais to the lower court. The order responded to an application from the plaintiffs in the case, who are Louisiana residents challenging the state's congressional map.

The Court ruled 6-3 that Louisiana’s most recent congressional map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The decision reaffirmed the use of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to bar intentional racial discrimination in voting districts. The case had been reargued before the justices.

Defenders of the challenged districts had not expressed any intent to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its judgment. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed a solo dissent from the order waiving the 32-day transmission period. Justice Samuel Alito issued a concurring opinion responding to Jackson, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.

In her dissent, Jackson wrote that the Court "unshackles itself from both constraints today and dives into the fray. " Alito wrote that "the dissent goes on to claim that our decision represents an unprincipled use of power.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called for a special legislative session following the release of the Callais decision to address the map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Legal challenges were filed in response to the governor’s call for special House primaries. The current date is May 7, 2026, and the 2026 midterm elections are the next congressional elections.