Supreme Court paves the way for largest-ever drop in Black representation in Congress

Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields is seen with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Wednesday at the Capitol. Fields represents the Louisiana congressional district at the heart of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday to severely weaken the Voting Rights Act. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP A historic drop in representation by Black members of Congress may be on the way after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision Wednesday to further weaken the Voting Rights Act. Now that the high court's conservative majority has reinterpreted longstanding provisions against racial discrimination under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Republican calls for new rounds of map drawing for the House of Representatives have already begun. How much of that redistricting can be done in time for this fall's midterm election is unclear, although many states have held or are close to holding congressional primary races. But in the long run, looking beyond this November, many redistricting experts are expecting Republican-controlled state legislatures in the South to eliminate at least some House districts with sizable racial minority populations currently represented by Black Democrats and that were likely protected under the Supreme Court's previous interpretation of Section 2 provisions. …