What Court Ruling Means for Race-Based Districting: Explainer

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark law enacted to enforce voting protections enshrined in the US Constitution and eliminate longstanding obstacles to voter participation. In recent years, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has repeatedly narrowed the scope of the 61-year-old law. On April 29, the court limited the use of the law to create predominantly Black or Hispanic election districts — its most important remaining component.

Voting 6-3 along ideological lines, the justices rejected a Louisiana congressional map that created a new majority-Black voting district in 2024. Writing for the court, Justice Samuel Alito called the district ...