Civil Rights
May 20, 2026
Louisiana v. Callais weakens Voting Rights Act and opens door to partisan redistricting
Louisiana v. Callais guts key protections of the Voting Rights Act by narrowing Section 2 and enabling partisan redistricting that could sharply reduce Black representation in Congress and state legislatures.
Erwin Chemerinsky
Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
UC Berkeley School of Law
Erwin's most recent book is "Worse Than Nothing: The Dangerous Fallacy of Originalism." He is also the author of "Closing the Courthouse," (Yale University Press 2017).
The Supreme Court's April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais will mean the largest decrease in Black representatives in Congress and state legislatures since the end of Reconstruction.
It is the six justices appointed by Republican presidents who are helping the Republican party, including making it much easier for Republicans to keep control of the House of Representatives in the 2024 elections and in the future. These justices, almost all of w...
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