Justice Jackson Objects to Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act Decision

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson expressed her disagreement with the Supreme Court’s decision to use their recent ruling in a Louisiana gerrymandering case. The case involves instructing lower courts on defining the Voting Rights Act, a change that may erase previous wins for voting rights advocates.

On Monday, the Court sent a case from Mississippi back to the U.S. District Court for further evaluation. This follows their ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which dismissed race-based gerrymandering. Jackson’s dissent noted that the Mississippi case only concerns Section 2’s private enforceability, which the Louisiana v. Callais decision did not cover. She argued there was no reason to overturn the lower court’s decision.

Last month, the Supreme Court restricted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This limits how states design districts that affect minority voters, as seen in the Louisiana case.

The case of Louisiana v. Callais focused on Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map that added a second majority-Black district. The question was whether it represented unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. The Court recognized that following the Voting Rights Act can be a compelling interest in redistricting. However, they ruled that Louisiana was not required to create a second majority-Black district, supporting a lower court’s rejection of the state’s map.

The Court’s ruling might lead to more legal challenges concerning congressional boundaries. Plaintiffs now face the challenge of showing a racially discriminatory intent in such cases.