https://apnews.com/live/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-updates-04-29-2026
"Live updates: Supreme Court ruling weakens a key tool of the Voting Rights Act"
Edited By LUENA RODRIGUEZ-FEO VILEIRA, DREW CALLISTER, BRIDGET BROWN and CURTIS YEE
Updated 8:52 AM MST, April 29, 2026
The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district in a decision that could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority found that the district, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, called the decision a “bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement.”
What to know:
What is the Voting Rights Act? The 1965 Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, succeeded in opening the ballot box to Black Americans and reducing persistent racial discrimination in voting. Nearly 70 of the 435 congressional districts are protected by Section 2, election law expert Nicholas Stephanopoulos has estimated.
What could happen next? It’s unclear how much is left of the provision, known as Section 2, but the ruling could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress. President Donald Trump has already touched off a nationwide redistricting battle to boost Republican chances.
What was the argument? The plaintiffs had argued that Louisiana’s second Black-majority congressional district, drawn to correct a map that had been found to violate the Voting Rights Act, has an unconstitutional racial basis and did not follow the standards for drawing a district, including compactness.
Check back to this link for updates.
https://apnews.com/live/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-updates-04-29-2026?version=1777480401789
(The corruption of this Court is astounding. Benefits minorities by following the CRA or the VRA: Unconstitutional. Benefits Trump: Constitutional. When will it end? -- Suzi)
@Suzianne saidKagan read her dissent out loud. There's no other way to interpret this than as activism from the court. It's easily solved by a functional congress.
https://apnews.com/live/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-updates-04-29-2026
"Live updates: Supreme Court ruling weakens a key tool of the Voting Rights Act"
Edited By LUENA RODRIGUEZ-FEO VILEIRA, DREW CALLISTER, BRIDGET BROWN and CURTIS YEE
Updated 8:52 AM MST, April 29, 2026
The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black cong ...[text shortened]... e CRA or the VRA: Unconstitutional. Benefits Trump: Constitutional. When will it end? -- Suzi)[/i]
The voting rights act is - or now more accurately, was - one of the most consequential. efficacious, and amply justified exercises of federal legislative power in our Nations history. It was born of the literal blood of Union soldiers and civil rights marchers. It ushered in awe-inspiring change, bringing this Nation closer to fulfilling the ideals of democracy and racial equality. And it has been repeatedly, and overwhelmingly, reauthorized by the people’s representatives in Congress. Only they have the right to say it is no longer needed—not the Members of this Court. I dissent, then, from this latest chapter in the majority’s now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act. I dissent because Congress elected otherwise. I dissent because the Court betrays its duty to faithfully implement the great statute Congress wrote. I dissent because the Court’s decision will set back the foundational right Congress granted of racial equality in electoral opportunity. I dissent.
@wildgrass saidExactly so.
Kagan read her dissent out loud. There's no other way to interpret this than as activism from the court. It's easily solved by a functional congress.The voting rights act is - or now more accurately, was - one of the most consequential. efficacious, and amply justified exercises of federal legislative power in our Nations history. It was born of the literal blood o ...[text shortened]... foundational right Congress granted of racial equality in electoral opportunity. I dissent.