In the Courts

Supreme Court May Deal Democrats A Huge Blow To Ever Taking House Back

The Roberts Court, April 23, 2021 Seated from left to right: Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor Standing from left to right: Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett. Photograph by Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to consider a major challenge that could reshape how voting maps are drawn, potentially giving Republicans a significant advantage in upcoming elections.

The justices agreed Friday to expand a Louisiana case and weigh arguments about whether the 1965 Voting Rights Act still justifies creating districts specifically designed to elect Black or Hispanic representatives. The case will examine whether racial considerations should play a role in redrawing electoral maps.

A ruling that limits the application of the Voting Rights Act could have effects on congressional and local legislative districts across the country, particularly in the South. A decision that limits race-based districting could benefit the GOP, helping it recover the one seat it lost in Alabama and Louisiana due to court-ordered redistricting in the last election cycle. It could also open the door for Republicans to pick up additional seats in other Southern states where district lines have been drawn with racial considerations in mind.

Currently, the U.S. House includes 11 majority-Black and 31 majority-Hispanic districts, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of 2022 data.

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