The US Supreme Court on Wednesday (local time) restricted how the Voting Rights Act can be used to create majority-Black or Hispanic electoral districts. The ruling is seen as strengthening Republican efforts to maintain control of the House in this year’s midterms and beyond, NBC reported.
In a 6-3 ruling, along partisan lines, the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s 2024 election map, which created a second predominant-Black congressional district, was “an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”
Even though the court kept Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act intact, the decision announced Wednesday effectively weakens the landmark law that emerged from the Civil Rights Movement and protects the collective voting power of racial minorities during redistricting.
NBC reported that it isn’t clear how the ruling will affect the midterm elections, scheduled to take place in November. Primaries are well underway in most states.
Voting Rights Act weakened since 2013
The Voting Rights Act, which was once considered the jewel in the crown of the civil rights movement, since 2013, has been largely weakened by an increasingly conservative Supreme Court. A major exception came nearly two years ago, when the court upheld the provision aimed at ensuring minority voters are not removed from the process of drawing new congressional district lines.
This is a developing story. More details awaited.
