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The U.S. Supreme Court has effectively gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the last remaining major provision of the landmark 1965 law that was a crowning achievement of the civil rights movement.
In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, a majority of justices ruled Wednesday that Louisiana must redraw a congressional map that was designed to create a second majority-Black district in the state, where African Americans have long faced racial segregation and barriers to voting. They said the electoral map "relied too heavily on race," an interpretation that is set to usher in another wave of redistricting across the South to help Republicans win more seats in Congress.
"This is central to whether or not we maintain a multiracial democracy in this country," says lawyer and civil rights activist Maya Wiley, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She calls Wednesday's ruling "a free pass to discriminate."
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Black Democrats in the South already face steep challenges when seeking political office. But the Supreme Court's ruling could be felt for a generation.
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While it's too late for many states to redraw congressional maps for the 2026 midterms, the court's ruling to limit the Voting Rights Act could result in fewer Black members. "We've been dealt a bad hand," says Georgia lawmaker.
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After the Supreme Court limited the Voting Rights Act, Johnson said states should consider redrawing House maps before the midterms. New boundaries would help the GOP.
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