The Supreme Court on Wednesday sharply weakened a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act, a ruling that limits the consideration of race in drawing voting maps and could usher in Republican gains in the House.

The decision is expected to touch off a scramble by Republicans to redraw majority-minority districts, especially in the South. New districts could shift the balance of power in Congress by imperiling the reelection prospects of some Black Democrats, possibly as soon as November’s midterms in some instances. Minority representatives in state legislatures and local offices could also be redistricted out.

The court’s conservative majority found Louisiana unlawfully discriminated by race when it created a second majority-Black congressional district to comply with the VRA. But the court did not strike down the provision, known as Section 2, as unconstitutional as many voting rights advocates had feared. Still, the court’s liberal justices and voting rights experts said it was effectively gutted.

The ruling carries significant symbolic weight, scaling back the last major pillar of a 60-year-old law long considered one of the marquee achievements of the civil rights era. The Voting Rights Act bans discriminatory voting practices such as literacy tests and poll taxes, and has helped greatly increase minority representation in state and federal offices.

Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana congressional map

The Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s new congressional map, a decision that could have large reverberations across the country. MS NOW Senior Legal Reporter Lisa Rubin, former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade and University of Michigan Law School Professor Leah Litman join Ana Cabrera to break down the case.

Story by Justin Jouvenal, Patrick Marley | The Washington Post | MS now – 4/29/2026