The Voting Rights Act (VRA) prevents racial discrimination in voting, ensuring that all voters can live under fair maps and make their voices heard.
Despite the Supreme Court’s recent reaffirming of the VRA’s role in preventing discrimination in redistricting, anti-voting groups are once again trying to weaken this important law in Louisiana v. Callais.
How Did We Get Here?
Following the 2020 census, population changes showed that Louisiana needed to create two opportunity districts in the state’s congressional map to ensure that Black voters could be fairly represented.
An opportunity district is one where voters who are part of a race or language minority group in a particular area have a meaningful opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. Section 2 of the VRA requires that when certain conditions are met, an opportunity district must be drawn.
The Louisiana Legislature only drew one opportunity district. Black voters challenged the unfair map under Section 2 of the VRA, and a court struck it down for weakening the voting power of Black Louisianans.
Following the court’s order, the state implemented a new map that followed the requirements of the VRA and created two opportunity districts where Black Louisianans could elect candidates of their choice. As a result, two Black Louisianans were elected to Congress for the first time in history.
What’s Next for Voters?
Now, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a meritless challenge to the new map by non-Black voters who are claiming that following the requirements of the VRA is racial discrimination.
Following a law that prevents racial discrimination is not an act of racial discrimination.
The state of Louisiana and a group of Black Louisiana voters are defending the map and the creation of a second opportunity district, which a federal court ordered was required by Section 2 of the VRA.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a legal brief in this case on behalf of our clients in North Dakota, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation and individual voters, who faced a similar battle for equal representation.
Though the legal questions at issue in the Louisiana and North Dakota cases are different, CLC’s brief in the Louisiana case reminds the court that states must be allowed to consider the VRA when drawing maps.
Your support helps make sure Campaign Legal Center can continue fighting so every voice is heard, and every vote counts equally.