The has weakened a key tool of that has helped root out racial discrimination in voting for more than half a century in a case concerning a Black majority congressional district in Louisiana.
The court鈥檚 conservative majority found that the district, represented by , relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a 鈥渟nake鈥� that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said the Supreme Court 鈥渉as humiliated and dismantled the life鈥檚 work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and every man and woman who marched, bled, and died for Black Americans to have an equal voice at the ballot box.鈥�
The plaintiffs argued that Louisiana鈥檚 second Black-majority congressional district, drawn to correct a previously discriminatory map, has an unconstitutional racial basis and did not follow the standards for drawing a district, including compactness.
, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, succeeded in opening the ballot box to Black Americans and reducing persistent discrimination in voting. Nearly 70 of the 435 congressional districts are protected by Section 2, election law experts estimate.
It鈥檚 unclear how much is left of 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 has already touched off to boost Republican chances.
Here’s the latest:
Congressional Black Caucus members vow to fight back
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus pledged to fight back after the Supreme Court decision and called for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Rep. Yvette Clarke, a New York Democrat who chairs the caucus, told reporters that the decision allows politicians to 鈥渃hoose their voters instead of the other way around.鈥�
鈥淭he Supreme Court has opened the door to a coordinated attack on Black voters across the country,鈥� Clarke said. 鈥淭his is an outright power grab.鈥�
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York, said the decision came from 鈥渢he Trump court鈥� in 鈥渁n effort to suppress the vote and rig the midterm elections and beyond.鈥�
鈥淎t this moment in time, we鈥檙e urging everyone to summon the courage, the character, and the conviction of those heroes like John Lewis and Rosa Parks and so many others upon whose shoulders we stand,鈥� Jeffries said.
The top Republican in Tennessee鈥檚 Senate warns of 鈥榣ogistical challenges鈥� to immediate redistricting
Tennessee lawmakers need to discuss whether it鈥檚 feasible to redistrict in light of the new court ruling, Senate Speaker Randy McNally said, since deadlines to file paperwork to run for office have passed, and candidates have already entered their races. The primary elections are Aug. 6.
The state鈥檚 current map is 鈥渟trong, fair and legal鈥� and has survived court challenges, McNally said in a statement.
Kentucky Gov. Beshear says the court decision underscores the importance of having Democratic governors
While much of the attention in Washington this year is on the battle for control of Congress, there are 36 governors races on the ballot in November.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision is a reminder of the significance of those races, since so many voting laws are crafted at the state level.
鈥淥ne of the best ways to fight back is to elect more Democratic governors 鈥� who are on the frontlines of protecting and expanding fundamental freedoms and democracy in our states,鈥� Beshear said in a statement. 鈥淲e have 36 opportunities to do that this year and rulings like this show that the stakes have never been higher.鈥�
Beshear is the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a group focused on electing Democrats as state leaders.
Alabama Democrat whose district was created by a court order slams the decision
Rep. Shomari Figures, whose district was court-ordered after judges found Black voting power was diluted, said the ruling makes future discrimination claims harder to prove.
He warned it could prompt Southern states to redraw maps in ways that weaken Black voters鈥� influence. Alabama鈥檚 current map remains in place under a court order through 2030, although the state is appealing.
House GOP campaign chairman says redrawing maps is up to the states
Rep. Richard Hudson welcomed the court鈥檚 decision. 鈥淚 was glad to see it come down,鈥� he told reporters at the U.S. Capitol.
But the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee stopped short of saying he would encourage states to reconsider congressional district maps before the November election.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what the implications are going be for the fall,鈥� the North Carolina congressman said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty late,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l see. It鈥檚 up to governors and legislators.鈥�
Louisiana governor says the state is weighing its next steps
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said the state attorney general and legislative leadership are discussing 鈥渨hat our options are.鈥� He said it could take at least a day to fully assess the high court鈥檚 decision.
In a post on the social platform X, the governor 鈥� who has close ties to Trump 鈥� said the ruling affirms that states can draw districts 鈥渇or political reasons.鈥� He said federal courts cannot require 鈥渞ace-based redistricting鈥� or treat what he called partisan disputes as violations of the Voting Rights Act.
Obama says the ruling 鈥榚ffectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act鈥�
The nation鈥檚 first Black president issued a statement decrying the ruling as 鈥渏ust one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.鈥�
鈥淭he good news is that such setbacks can be overcome,鈥� Obama, a Democrat, continued. 鈥淏ut that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers.鈥�
Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn says the ruling will fuel redistricting fights and weaken Black representation
The South Carolina congressional district held by 85-year-old Clyburn, who for a time was the highest-ranking Black member of Congress, has been a focus for Republicans angling to pick up an additional seat.
Clyburn said in a statement that the Supreme Court had taken 鈥渁 giant step backward,鈥� one that 鈥渢hreatens to send our country deeper into the thicket of never-ending redistricting fights, with repeated aggressive map redraws, protracted legal battles, and relentless partisan tugs-of-war.鈥�
South Carolina鈥檚 2022 map, which packs Democrats into Clyburn鈥檚 district, was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2024. Republicans have since tried to redraw the seat to flip it.
Trump says more districts should be redrawn after Wednesday鈥檚 ruling
The president said the decision, which could pave the way for other districts to be redrawn in the Republicans鈥� favor, is the 鈥渒ind of ruling I like.鈥�
鈥淪ome states don鈥檛 need to redraw, and some do,鈥� Trump said, while noting that generally, he would want Republican state officials to revise the congressional maps.
Still, he wasn鈥檛 initially aware of what had happened. When asked by a reporter for his reaction to the decision, Trump asked when the ruling had come out.
鈥淚鈥檝e been with the astronauts,鈥� he rationalized. 鈥淚鈥檝e been with contractors because we鈥檙e trying to get the ballroom built.鈥�
Georgia senator calls the decision a 鈥榟uge step backwards鈥�
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is Black, says he would not be in Congress without the Voting Rights Act and slammed the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision as a blow for racial justice.
鈥淢ake no mistake, this ruling harkens back to the darkest days of the Jim Crow era,鈥� he told reporters.
Americans, he said, are being 鈥渇urther squeezed out of their democracy.鈥�
Tennessee Republicans consider their options
Asked about the prospect of trying to redistrict the state鈥檚 Memphis-centered Democratic seat, Tennessee鈥檚 Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said in a written statement, 鈥淲e are reviewing the recent opinion as I have conversations with the White House and other individuals.鈥�
Alabama attorney general wants to apply the Supreme Court ruling to his state鈥檚 redistricting
Attorney General Steve Marshall said he wants to ensure Alabama鈥檚 congressional maps reflect voters鈥� will, not what he called an unconstitutional racial quota system.
The state is appealing a federal order requiring the state to continue using a court-drawn map with an additional district where Black voters are a majority or near it.
Marshall called Wednesday鈥檚 decision a 鈥渨atershed moment鈥� that means states 鈥渃annot be forced to gerrymander by race.鈥�
He added that the high court recognized progress in the South and said laws from an earlier era no longer reflect current conditions.
A Black voter from New Orleans says he鈥檚 upset by the ruling
Thomas Johnson, a Black man from New Orleans who was visiting Louisiana鈥檚 Capitol on Wednesday, said he specifically feared the possibility that Republicans could redraw the state鈥檚 congressional map in a way that dismantles predominately Black districts.
鈥淚 feel like this is an embarrassing attack upon the minorities, particularly the Black community,鈥� who he feels have little say in Washington.
Johnson is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, one of two Black Democrats from Louisiana in Congress.
鈥淲e are going to do all we can and continue fighting so our voices are heard,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all we want, to be heard.鈥�
Louisiana鈥檚 other Democratic congressman says his seat isn鈥檛 safe either
While the Supreme Court ruled on the district represented by Rep. Cleo Fields, the other Democratic member of Louisiana鈥檚 U.S. House delegation is concerned about the fate of his seat, too.
鈥淭he reality is our maps were drawn together,鈥� said Rep. Troy Carter, whose district includes New Orleans. 鈥淪o that means if they鈥檙e all thrown out as unconstitutional, then the likelihood that new maps would be drawn that would in fact not only impact Congressman Fields but also impact me as well.鈥�
Rights groups aren鈥檛 mincing words about the Supreme Court decision
Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said the decision is a blow to American democracy and one that will further erode trust in the Supreme Court among diverse populations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a day of loss of any remnant or modicum of credibility of this Supreme Court to rise above partisan politics,鈥� Nelson said. 鈥淚t has elevated the principle of partisanship and politics over the right to vote.鈥�
Wednesday鈥檚 decision is a 鈥減rofound betrayal of the civil rights movement,鈥� said Sophia Lin Lakin, deputy director of the ACLU鈥檚 Voting Rights Project. Minority communities won鈥檛 just potentially lose a seat in Congress, she said, they鈥檒l lose a voice on issues like healthcare, education and infrastructure.
鈥淪tates can now point to partisan objectives to justify maps that strip voters of color of representation, and federal courts will have little basis to intervene,鈥� she said.
A voting rights advocate doesn鈥檛 know if the ruling will spur redistricting this year
David Becker, the founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said the ruling will allow lawmakers to reduce the power of minority voters 鈥� at least eventually.
鈥淗ow it will affect 2026, I don鈥檛 know,鈥� Becker said Wednesday on a call with reporters. 鈥淚t could be open season now, but we鈥檙e also running out of time.鈥�
Obama鈥檚 attorney general says this Supreme Court has earned an infamous place in history
Eric Holder, the former Obama-era U.S. attorney general whose administration lost a crucial voting rights battle in 2013, said Wednesday鈥檚 ruling amounted to 鈥淪upreme Court sanctioned racial and partisan gerrymandering.鈥�
鈥淭he Court today ensures that it will be remembered as one of the most destructive and deeply irresponsible Courts in the history of our nation,鈥� Holder said in a statement.
鈥淚t should not be lost on anyone,鈥� he added, 鈥渢hat the Roberts court makes this decision at a time when Republican leaders across the country are foaming at the mouth to draw the American people out of a meaningful say in our elections.鈥�
After leaving public service, Holder formed the National Redistricting Foundation to protect voting rights and challenge gerrymandered congressional and state legislative districts.
Candidate for Tennessee governor calls for redistricting after Supreme Court decision
Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor this year, called on social media for the GOP-supermajority state Legislature to reconvene and draw Tennessee鈥檚 only Democratic congressional seat to favor a pickup for Republicans.
The district centers on the majority-Black city of Memphis.
One top Georgia Republican calls for immediate redistricting, even with voting underway
Redrawing Georgia鈥檚 maps for the 2026 elections would be difficult because early voting is already underway for the May 19 party primaries, in advance of the November election.
A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and state Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon didn鈥檛 immediately respond Wednesday to queries about immediate redistricting. State Senate Minority Harold Jones II, an Augusta Democrat, said he鈥檚 unsure of the prospects of quick action.
But one leading GOP candidate to replace Kemp urged the governor to act immediately, which could protect Republican power even if Georgia Democrats make gains this fall.
鈥淒emocrats nationally are trying to redistrict their way back to power, and what happened in Virginia is just the tip of the spear,鈥� businessman Rick Jackson said in a statement. 鈥淭here is no time to waste. Georgia must act now to ensure secure elections in Georgia and counter the Democrats鈥� national assault on our elections.鈥�
Hakeem Jeffries slams the Supreme Court decision as 鈥榝ar right extremists鈥� thinking
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries accused the Supreme Court of being 鈥渇ar right extremists鈥� and of voter suppression being 鈥渁 way of life鈥� for Trump and Republicans, in a strongly worded statement on social media.
鈥淩epublicans know they cannot win a free and fair election in November and so they are desperate to rig it. We will never let them succeed,鈥� the Democrat wrote.
Jeffries has previously claimed Trump makes power grabs when it comes to voting.
When Trump signed an executive order in March to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, Jeffries said it would make voting unnecessarily difficult of communities of color, people with disabilities and other key demographics.
King family 鈥榙eeply troubled鈥� by Supreme Court decision
Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and his wife Arndrea Waters King said in a statement that the Supreme Court decision 鈥渇urther weakened the Voting Rights Act.鈥�
鈥淭his decision silences the voices of millions of voters of color by undermining the purpose of the VRA 鈥� securing and protecting the political rights of Black and Brown communities across the country,鈥� they said. 鈥淒r. Martin Luther King Jr. understood that voting rights are the foundation of our entire democratic system. Without them, we are a democracy in name only. 鈥�
The couple are the founders of a civil rights organization called the Drum Major Institute.
Congressional Black Caucus says the Supreme Court has 鈥榮igned the death certificate of the Voting Rights Act鈥�
The 60 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is currently made up of all Democrats, said the ruling erased 鈥渄ecades of Black progress.鈥�
鈥淩epublicans now have the ability to move forward with a nationwide scheme to rig congressional maps in their favor 鈥� to manufacture more districts for themselves by eliminating majority-Black districts, while stripping away the ability to challenge those racist, anti-Black maps in court,鈥� the group said.
The caucus added this could open the door for huge redistricting changes in the South and vowed to initiate 鈥渁ny measure necessary鈥� to find a legislative remedy, and called for a vote on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Inside the Supreme Court as the decision was announced
The already quiet courtroom went silent when Chief Justice John Roberts said Justice Samuel Alito would be reading the majority opinion.
Members of the audience listened raptly as he read, waiting to hear the depths of the Section 2 decision. Some in the audience nodded as Justice Elena Kagan read the dissent and said the majority had effectively finished a yearslong pursuit of the Voting Rights Act.
A Black voter in Alabama reacts to the court鈥檚 decision
Shalela Dowdy in Mobile, Alabama, said she鈥檚 worried the decision will lead to the rollback of an Alabama congressional district created in 2023, which she said gave previously ignored voters a seat at the table.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a setback. Putting it in the hands of the states on this level is dangerous,鈥� Dowdy said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 just been a history of the states not doing the right thing based off their state population.鈥�
Dowdy, who is Black, was a plaintiff in a lawsuit that resulted in the creation of the new district, now represented by Rep. Shomari Figures.
She added that they are going to have to battle in court, and at the ballot box, to maintain representation: 鈥淭he fight continues. You can鈥檛 get comfortable.鈥�
Rev. Al Sharpton says the decision is a 鈥檅ullet in the heart of the voting rights movement’
鈥淭he Supreme Court has not just weakened a law, it has humiliated and dismantled the life鈥檚 work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and every man and woman who marched, bled, and died for Black Americans to have an equal voice at the ballot box,鈥� Sharpton, the president of the National Action Network, said in a statement.
鈥淭his ruling does not just dishonor the generation that marched, it steals from the generation that hasn鈥檛 voted yet,鈥� Sharpton added in the statement. 鈥淏lack children growing up in this country deserve the same protections their grandparents bled for.鈥�
He called on Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act through federal legislation, a task that has proved elusive while Capitol Hill has been narrowly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Louisiana鈥檚 Republican attorney general applauds the decision
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she will work with fellow Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-dominated Legislature to 鈥減rovide guidance as we move forward to adopt a constitutionally compliant map.鈥�
鈥淭he Supreme Court has ended Louisiana鈥檚 long-running nightmare of federal courts coercing the state to draw a racially discriminatory map,鈥� Murrill wrote. 鈥淭hat was always unconstitutional鈥攁nd this is a seismic decision reaffirming equal protection under our nation鈥檚 laws.鈥�
Republican redistricting group hails the decision
The ruling is expected to be an enormous boost for Republican efforts to expand their number of winnable seats in the House of Representatives and state legislatures.
The GOP has long complained that Democrats turned the Voting Rights Act鈥檚 protections into a partisan weapon to gain seats.
鈥淔or decades the left has spent hundreds of millions of dollars seeking to divide Americans along racial lines in a cynical pursuit of partisan power masquerading as civil rights,鈥� said Adam Kincaid, the National Republican Redistricting Trust鈥檚 executive director, in a statement. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision rebukes that divisive and unconstitutional effort.鈥�
The decision will likely reignite legal battles over congressional districts in southern states including Alabama
A federal court in 2023 ordered the creation of a new near-majority Black district which led to the election of Alabama鈥檚 second Black congressional representative.
Alabama is under a court order to use the new map through the rest of the decade, but the state appealed to the Supreme Court. Alabama has argued the court-drawn map is an illegal racial gerrymander.
Alabama House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle, a Republican, said he is hopeful that the Louisiana ruling means justices will rule in favor of Alabama in that appeal, eventually clearing the way for Alabama to draw its own map.
鈥淚 do believe the ruling today vindicates the state鈥檚 argument that the court illegally racially gerrymandered the state in its ruling,鈥� Pringle said.
The Supreme Court decision is hugely consequential, but maybe not for the 2026 election
In most of the states where Republicans could benefit from eliminating Democratic districts that have majority Black or Hispanic populations, filing deadlines for congressional elections have already passed. In some, primaries have already occurred.
Barring extraordinary action, that means the most likely impact of Wednesday鈥檚 decision will come in 2028, when the GOP can potentially replace more than a dozen Democratic-held House districts that were previously protected under the Voting Rights Act.
鈥淭he Voting Rights Act as a means to protect minority voters from vote dilution is essentially dead,鈥� said Jonathan Cervas, a political scientist at Carnegie-Mellon University who鈥檚 served as a special master in multiple Voting Rights Act cases.
Decision could cut Black political power in states and localities
Over time, the decision could result in a sweeping rollback to Black political power at the state and local level.
There are hundreds of Black state legislators in the South. There are many more Black officials on county and parish governing bodies, school boards and city councils that make decisions about policing, road paving and school districting that touch everyday lives.
In many cases, Black-majority districts that those officials represent have been carved out through decades of repeated Section 2 litigation. In states like Alabama and Mississippi, the racial cleavage is so deep that there are few Democratic state legislators who aren鈥檛 Black.
Wednesday鈥檚 ruling could let white majorities wipe out districts where Black voters exercise power, particularly where they are numerous but in the minority. That would be a change from today, where Black officials often exercise real influence, even on governing bodies where they are in the minority.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
