US Supreme Court strikes down modern Voting Rights Act Section 2
Updated
Updated · Slate · May 8
US Supreme Court strikes down modern Voting Rights Act Section 2
10 articles · Updated · Slate · May 8
In Louisiana v. Callais, the court’s 5-4 ruling effectively imposed a tougher intent-based standard for proving racial vote dilution claims.
The decision weakens a results-based test Congress adopted in 1982, making it harder to challenge electoral maps and other voting rules with discriminatory effects.
The report says the ruling fits a broader pattern of the court narrowing federal voting-rights protections, with states already moving to redraw districts and delay elections.
Will the end of the VRA's 'results test' reverse decades of minority representation gains?
How can communities prove discriminatory intent in voting laws without a 'smoking gun'?
*Louisiana v. Callais*: How the Supreme Court's New Intent Standard Endangers Minority Representation and Shifts Redistricting Power
Overview
On April 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais, invalidating Louisiana's congressional map and reshaping the Voting Rights Act by requiring proof of intentional racial discrimination in redistricting. This decision led Louisiana to postpone its primaries and prompted Republican-led states like Florida and Tennessee to redraw maps aimed at flipping Democratic seats. The ruling made it much harder to challenge racial gerrymandering, enabling aggressive tactics that threaten minority representation. Civil rights groups condemned the ruling and are pushing for federal legislation and state reforms to protect voting rights, while the political landscape shifts toward increased Republican advantage in upcoming elections.