Supreme Court Weakens Voting Rights Act, Strikes Down Louisiana District

The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision weakens a key provision of the Voting Rights Act — a landmark 1965 civil rights law that prohibits discrimination in voting — and limits the consideration of race in drawing congressional maps. It strikes down a majority-Black district in Louisiana and could precipitate the elimination of other majority-Black districts represented by Democrats elsewhere in the country. Republicans celebrated the ruling. "Today's decision is a victory for the Constitution and the principle that every American citizen is equal under the law. The Supreme Court made clear that our elections should be decided by voters, not engineered through unconstitutional mandates," National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Rep. Richard Hudson, R-NC., said in a statement. "For too long, activists have manipulated the redistricting process to achieve political outcomes, dividing Americans instead of bringing them together. This ruling restores fairness, strengthens confidence in our elections and ensures every voter is treated equally under the law," Hudson continued. The decision is likely to set off additional redistricting efforts throughout the country ahead of the November midterm elections and could swing the balance of the House. "We're not powerless and we're not backing down. The Congressional Black Caucus is prepared to take any measure necessary to protect Black voters in this country," CBC Chair Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y. But Democrats are limited in what they can do without power in either chamber. Clarke and other members of the caucus called for immediate passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a proposal to modernize the Voting Rights Act and strengthen legal protections against discriminatory voting practices and policies. She also said opponents of the decision would pursue Supreme Court reform, including term limits for justices. At least until after the midterms, it's doubtful Democrats could force any of those proposals to the House floor. Across the Capitol, Senate Democrats on Wednesday launched a task force to fight back against what they allege are Republican attempts to subvert American elections. The task force will include former Attorney General Eric Holder and Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias and will examine threats to elections and work on mitigation strategies. Democrats have repeatedly raised alarms that President Donald Trump and his Republican allies are trying to preemptively alter the outcome of the November election, which is expected to be difficult for congressional Republicans. Trump has called to "nationalize" elections, signed an executive order to restrict mail voting, and has pushed legislation to implement voter identification requirements and bar noncitizens from voting that Democrats and voting rights groups say could disenfranchise millions of Americans. "Trump and Republicans are testing how far they can go to undermine free and fair elections because they can't win on a level playing field," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement announcing the task force, which was scheduled to convene its first meeting on Wednesday. "The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy — and right now, that foundation is under attack."