The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the creation of a second congressional district in Louisiana with a predominantly Black population constitutes unconstitutional gerrymandering based on racist grounds. The justices effectively upheld a federal court ruling that prohibits the state from utilizing its current electoral map.
The decision reached by the Supreme Court was 6-3, with the majority consisting of justices appointed by Republican presidents, a dynamic that previously allowed the court to approve part-line partisan districts in 2019 and 2024, often resulting in or solidifying predominantly white districts.
During the ruling, Justice Samuel Alito argued for the majority that the Constitution rarely permits a state to discriminate based on race. In contrast, Justice Elena Kagan accused the majority of undermining the Voting Rights Act, which was enacted during the Civil Rights Movement in 1965.
Kagan noted that the Act initiated profound changes and helped bring the nation closer to achieving ideals of democracy and racial equality. She stressed that the authority to declare the Act unnecessary belongs solely to the elected representatives in Congress, not the members of the judiciary. She therefore stated her opposition to what she termed the latest chapter in the advanced erosion of the voting rights guaranteed by the Act.
