Supreme Court orders Louisiana to redraw congressional map, narrowing Voting Rights Act protections

In a 6-3 ruling along party lines, the Supreme Court held that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act cannot justify race-based redistricting and ordered Louisiana to redraw its congressional map. Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion, while Justice Kagan dissented, calling the decision a demolition of the VRA. The case examined whether race could be used to ensure Black representation after the 2020 census, a process that produced a contested second Black-majority district and multiple court actions before the 2024 election. The decision signals a major shift in how minority protections are applied to redistricting and introduces fresh uncertainty for future maps.