S for Slavery Track

Louisiana v. Callais (April 29, 2026): The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Louisiana's redrawn congressional map — which had created a second majority-Black district to comply with the Voting Rights Act — was an illegal racial gerrymander. The decision effectively guts Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, removing one of the last protections ensuring minority voters have a fair chance to elect their chosen candidates. Justice Kagan's dissent warned it "threatens a half-century's worth of gains in voting equality."

The ruling dismantled some of the final guardrails protecting the electoral power of Black, Hispanic, and other racial minority voters under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The 6-3 decision all but nullifies Section 2, which had required states to draw electoral maps giving racial minority voters the opportunity to elect their chosen candidates. The ruling applies not just to Congress but also to state legislatures, county commissions, city councils, and local school boards.