US top court voids Louisiana voting map amid national redistricting fight

The United States Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s electoral map was unconstitutionally drawn to create two Black-majority districts. The decision announced on Thursday represented a major reinterpretation of the landmark US Voting Rights Act , in particular, its provision meant to protect minority voters from having their political power diluted. It is set to benefit Republicans amid a wider battle over congressional redistricting before the midterm elections in November. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list In the 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority held that a map that created two Black-majority congressional districts in Louisiana was unconstitutional. The map had initially been drawn by Louisiana’s Republican-controlled state legislature following the 2020 census. It contained only one Black-majority district out of six total districts, despite Black residents making up a third of the state’s population. A group of voters challenged the map, arguing that its composition weakened Black voters’ electoral strength. A federal judge initially sided with the challengers, ruling the map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The legislation was passed in 1965 amid the US civil rights movement and sought to respond to the historic disenfranchisement of Black voters in several states. …