# Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in Racial Gerrymandering Ruling - URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/supreme-court-guts-voting-rights-act-in-racial-gerrymandering-ruling - Published: 2026-04-29T19:20:09.225271+00:00 - Topics: voting-rights, supreme-court, redistricting, civil-rights, gerrymandering ## What the left says - The decision effectively kills the last remaining powerful provision of the Voting Rights Act, rendering a landmark civil rights law 'all but a dead letter' after decades of Supreme Court erosion - Republican-controlled Southern states can now eliminate majority-minority districts that ensure Black and Latino representation, potentially costing Democrats multiple safe House seats - The ruling abandons four decades of legal precedent that protected minority voting power and could trigger the largest reduction in minority representation since Reconstruction - States can now systematically dilute minority voting power without legal consequence by claiming partisan rather than racial motivations for their redistricting decisions ## What the right says - The Court correctly ruled that using race as the primary factor in drawing districts violates the Equal Protection Clause and creates unconstitutional racial gerrymandering - The decision upholds the principle that all Americans should be treated equally under the law regardless of race, moving toward a truly colorblind Constitution - Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act was being misused to force states into race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids, creating a conflict between federal law and constitutional principles - The ruling preserves states' legitimate authority to draw districts based on traditional criteria like geography and partisanship rather than mandating racial considerations ## Common ground - The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that Louisiana's second majority-Black congressional district constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander - The decision significantly narrows the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in redistricting cases - Louisiana will need to redraw its congressional map, potentially affecting the 2026 midterm elections - The ruling could prompt redistricting efforts in multiple Southern states with implications for congressional representation ## Sources - [ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Politics/5-things-supreme-courts-landmark-decision-voting-rights/story?id=131396119) (Lean Left) - [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-04-29-0700/supreme-court-supreme-court-eviscerates-voting-rights-act) (Center) - [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-04-29-0700/supreme-court-supreme-court-restricts-race-based-redistricting-louisiana-case) (Center) - [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-04-29-0700/supreme-court-supreme-court-limits-key-provision-landmark-voting-rights-act) (Center) - [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-04-29-0700/supreme-court-supreme-court-rules-key-voting-rights-act-rule-republicans-and-democrats-wage-redistricting-war) (Center) - [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/29/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-democrats-south) (Lean Left) - [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/29/supreme-court-redistricting-race-gerrymander) (Lean Left) - [Blaze Media](https://www.theblaze.com/news/scotus-issues-shocking-ruling-about-racial-gerrymander-map) (Right) - [Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/04/29/u-s-supreme-court-voids-race-based-redistricting-map-in-louisiana/) (Right) - [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-louisiana-congressional-map-voting-rights-act/) (Lean Left) - [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-rules-key-voting-rights-act-rule-republicans-democrats-wage-redistricting-war) (Right) - [Just The News](https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/scotus-strikes-down-louisiana-congressional-map-vra-case?utm_source=justthenews.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=external-news-aggregators) (Right) - [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/supreme-court-rules-2024-louisiana-redistricting-map-is-unconstitutional-262367301750) (Lean Left) - [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/us/politics/supreme-court-voting-rights-midterms.html) (Lean Left) - [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5754657/supreme-court-louisiana-redistricting) (Lean Left) - [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/29/supreme-court-strikes-louisianas-congressional-map-limits-use-race/) (Right) - [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/supreme-court-voids-majority-black-congressional-district-in-louisiana-boosting-republican-chances) (Lean Left) - [RedState](https://redstate.com/joesquire/2026/04/29/scotus-louisiana-callais-decision-voting-rights-act-n2199372) (Unknown) - [The Daily Signal](https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/04/29/scotus-issues-louisiana-redistricting-ruling-that-could-impact-midterms/) (Right) - [The Dispatch](https://thedispatch.com/article/supreme-court-louisiana-redistricting-voting-rights-act/) (Lean Right) - [The Federalist](https://thefederalist.com/2026/04/29/supreme-court-smacks-down-rampant-race-based-gerrymandering/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=supreme-court-smacks-down-rampant-race-based-gerrymandering) (Right) - [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/apr/29/king-charles-new-york-donald-trump-zohran-mamdani-iran-us-politics-live) (Left) - [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/black-lawmakers-supreme-court-voting-rights-ruling) (Left) - [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/nov/02/us-redistrcting-congressional-map) (Left) - [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/supreme-court-louisiana-congressional-map-case-ruling) (Left) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5853382-live-updates-trump-iran-hegseth-fed-interest-rates-powell/) (Center) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5855662-chuck-schumer-supreme-court-voting-rights-act/) (Center) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5855145-nrcc-celebrates-redistricting-supreme-court-decision/) (Center) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5855076-kagan-dissent-voting-rights-act/) (Center) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5854837-read-supreme-court-ruling-voting-rights-act-louisiana-callais/) (Center) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5854770-supreme-court-voting-rights-act/) (Center) - [The Nation](https://www.thenation.com/article/society/jon-roberts-callais-v-louisiana-supreme-court-voting-rights/) (Left) - [Townhall](https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/04/29/the-supreme-court-has-ruled-on-the-voting-rights-act-n2668989) (Right) - [Vox](https://www.vox.com/politics/487363/supreme-court-louisiana-callais-gerrymandering-alito-voting-rights-act) (Left) - [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/29/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-louisiana-voting-maps/) (Lean Left) --- Content by TwoTakes (https://twotakes.us). You may quote, summarize and cite it, including in AI answers, as long as you credit TwoTakes and link the story URL. Original reporting belongs to the linked outlets. Summaries are AI-assisted and reviewed for balance; check the original sources for authoritative reporting.