The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district in a decision that strips a key portion of the Voting Rights Act, the Associated Press reported.
The decision could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress, the news site said.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority found that the Louisiana district, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, succeeded in opening the ballot box to Black Americans and reducing persistent racial discrimination in voting. Nearly 70 of the 435 congressional districts are protected by Section 2, election law expert Nicholas Stephanopoulos told the AP.
Wednesday's ruling, in Louisiana v. Callais, narrows how courts may interpret and enforce Section 2, making it significantly harder to bring discrimination claims against electoral maps, diminishing the voting power of communities of color, said Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network.
“Today’s decision is a bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement,” Sharpton said in a statement. “The Supreme Court has not just weakened a law, it has humiliated and dismantled the life’s work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and every man and woman who marched, bled, and died for Black Americans to have an equal voice at the ballot box."
The Supreme Court has been "chipping away" at the Voting Rights Act for over a decade, and today "they drove the knife deeper," he said.
NAN called on congressional leaders to act immediately to restore and expand the Voting Rights Act through federal legislation. Sharpton said he will convene civil rights leaders, legal advocates, and elected officials in the coming weeks to build a coordinated legislative and legal response.
"The unfettered right to vote is central to our great democracy. Instead of protecting the ability for American citizens to freely cast their ballot, Republican extremists have embraced voter suppression and racial gerrymandering to desperately cling to power," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. "The corrupt conservative majority on the Supreme Court appointed by Donald Trump has taken a blowtorch to the Voting Rights Act. Why? The extremists need to cheat to win."
The New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus said it was "deeply concerned" by the recent ruling.
"For decades, Section 2 has protected communities of color from discrimination in voting and ensured fair representation," Caucus Chair Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages said in a statement. "By blurring the lines around how race can be considered in redistricting, the voices of Black, Latino, Asian, and other communities of color will be further diluted and the safeguards that our democracy provides for them are put at risk. Let’s be clear: when representation is weakened, democracy is weakened. We will not stay silent while the voices of our communities continue to be silenced.”
