Story perspectives

Rhode Island Moves to Protect Minorities After Court Ruling

5/9/2026

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Left

Rhode Island Lawmakers Introduce

Rhode Island legislators introduced a state Voting Rights Act to safeguard minority voters after the Supreme Court’s decision.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling that gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, eliminating the disparate-impact requirement.
Civil-rights groups say the intent-standard makes it nearly impossible to contest discriminatory maps.
Guardian analysis found Alito’s claim Black turnout exceeds white turnout relies on flawed methodology.

Right

Booker Pushes Limits

Senator Cory Booker urged Congress to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices after the Court’s Voting Rights Act decision.
The Supreme Court, with a conservative majority citing Justice Samuel Alito, narrowed Section 2 liability to intentional racial gerrymandering cases.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, describing the Section 2 ruling as chaotic.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced primary plans that could eliminate all Democratic congressional seats.

Center

Supreme Court Fast-Tracks

The Supreme Court issued an emergency order on May 5 2026, fast-tracking Louisiana v. Callais and cutting the standard 32-day waiting period.
In a 6-3 decision, the Court struck down Louisiana’s created majority-Black congressional district, narrowing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi Republican governors announced special sessions to redraw congressional maps.
People’s Organization For Progress holds May 13 2026-protest, Martin Luther King Federal Courthouse, Newark, demanding Voting-Rights-Act restoration.

Blindspot

Center coverage emphasized the Supreme Court’s emergency order that fast-tracked the Louisiana v. Callais decision, a detail absent from Right coverage.
Center also reported coordinated special legislative sessions by Republican governors in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi, whereas Right only noted Alabama’s primary plan.

History

Historical Context

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, banned literacy tests, required federal preclearance, and registered about 250,000 Black voters that year. A 2026 6-3 decision written by Justice Samuel Alito again limited Section 2 after the Court’s 2013 Shelby County and 2021 Brnovich rulings, prompting the NAACP to warn of fresh challenges in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.

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Rhode Island Lawmakers Introduce

Rhode Island legislators introduced a state Voting Rights Act to safeguard minority voters after the Supreme Court’s decision.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling that gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, eliminating the disparate-impact requirement.
Civil-rights groups say the intent-standard makes it nearly impossible to contest discriminatory maps.
Guardian analysis found Alito’s claim Black turnout exceeds white turnout relies on flawed methodology.

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