“The Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais restores fairness to our redistricting process and allows states to pass electoral maps that reflect the will of the voters, not the will of federal judges. It is clear that Callais requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle.
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Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais
April 29, 2026
On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais that Louisiana's congressional map creating a second majority-Black district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, effectively gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion for the six conservative justices, holding that states can almost never use race as a factor when drawing maps to comply with the VRA — including when doing so is intended to remedy prior discrimination. The ruling rewrites the standard for bringing a Section 2 claim in a way that critics say makes it nearly impossible to use the law to protect minority voting rights in redistricting. The decision carries sweeping national implications. Analysts predict it could allow Republican-controlled legislatures across the South to redraw congressional maps before the 2026 midterms in ways that reduce minority representation, potentially shifting as many as 19 additional seats into the GOP column. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves called a special session beginning around May 20 to redraw state Supreme Court districts. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said the ruling requires Georgia to draw new maps before 2028 but declined to call a special session for 2026. Civil rights groups called it the most devastating blow to voting rights in generations.
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“What the Supreme Court did today was to say that it's not okay to engage in racial gerrymandering. The government, under the constitution, is not supposed to treat you differently based on your race. Almost never is that appropriate. There are very, very few circumstances where it is, and this is not one of those.
“The political left spent decades hiding their racial obsession behind the banner of civil rights. Today, that game ends.
“Black voters in this country should have some relief from the court. And this court basically said they do not. You can't take the Voting Rights Act into consideration unless you take race into consideration.
“It's certainly possible both majority-Black districts in Louisiana could be redrawn. In 2026, we shouldn't still be fighting about these things, but we are, and it's a reality.
“The Supreme Court has completed its effective demolition of the Voting Rights Act. Six Justices have ravaged Congress's express purposes, rewriting and effectively neutralizing Section 2 of the VRA by demanding the very standard of proof to bring a VRA claim — a showing of intentional racial discrimination — that Congress explicitly rejected in 1982.
“It is my belief, and federal law requires, that the Mississippi Legislature be given the first opportunity to draw these maps. They haven't had a fair opportunity to do that because of the pending Callais decision. I am calling a special session to begin 21 days after the Supreme Court's ruling.