Story perspectives

Supreme Court 6-3 Overturns Louisiana Black-Majority Voting District

4/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn a Louisiana district designed for Black representation, a decision Attorney General Liz Murrill called seismic.
Justices Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan split, with Alito stating the Constitution rarely permits racial discrimination and Kagan warning the ruling could enable vote dilution.
The decision reverses a lower-court ruling that had upheld a Black-majority district with Black voters about one-third of the electorate.

History

Historical Context

The 1993 Supreme Court ruling in Shaw v. Reno held that any congressional map drawn primarily on race triggers strict scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment, building on the 1965 Voting Rights Act’s preclearance requirement. That precedent guided challenges to majority-Black districts in states such as Georgia, Texas and Louisiana, and underlies today’s 6-3 reversal of Louisiana’s Black-majority district.

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Story summary

The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn a Louisiana district designed for Black representation, a decision Attorney General Liz Murrill called seismic.
Justices Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan split, with Alito stating the Constitution rarely permits racial discrimination and Kagan warning the ruling could enable vote dilution.
The decision reverses a lower-court ruling that had upheld a Black-majority district with Black voters about one-third of the electorate.

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