Dispute over Louisiana district returns to justices after long legal saga – and could have far-reaching implications
Dispute over Louisiana district returns to justices after long legal saga – and could have far-reaching implications
The US supreme court will hear a hugely consequential case on Wednesday that will determine the future of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark civil rights law designed to prevent discrimination in voting.
The case, Louisiana v Callais, involves a dispute over Louisiana’s sixth congressional district, which snakes from Shreveport in the state’s north-west to Baton Rouge in the center. Louisiana Republicans drew the district after a successful lawsuit filed by Black voters under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which outlaws election procedures and practices that discriminate on the basis of race.
But the question at the heart of the case could have far-reaching implications. After hearing argument in the case in March, the supreme court took the unusual step of not issuing a ruling at the end of last term. Instead, it instructed the parties to address an explosive question: whether Louisiana’s decision to create an additional majority-minority district violated the 14th and 15th amendments to the constitution, which guarantee equal protection under the law and prohibit denying the right to vote based on someone’s race. In asking the question, the supreme court set up a blockbuster case on whether section 2 itself was constitutional when it comes to redistricting.
A ruling holding section 2 unconstitutional would dramatically upend American election law and strip minority voters of a tool to challenge discrimination.
