Supreme Court Rewrites the Voting Rights Act Test in a 6-3 Ruling Striking Down Louisiana's Map

On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais, striking down Louisiana's 2024 congressional map and substantially revising how courts apply Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority. The Court did not repeal Section 2, but rewrote the Gingles framework that has governed vote-dilution claims since 1986, adding requirements that plaintiffs offer alternative maps accommodating a state's legitimate districting goals and control for partisan affiliation when analyzing racially polarized voting. Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, wrote a 48-page dissent arguing the changes "eviscerate the law." The Trump Justice Department had urged the Court to uphold the lower court's invalidation of the map, without asking it to strike Section 2 outright.

Section 2 has been the principal remaining federal tool for challenging redistricting that dilutes minority voting strength since the Court disabled preclearance in 2013. Raising the evidentiary bar changes the practical availability of that remedy mid-cycle.

The decision issued April 29, 2026 and is binding nationwide.