The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case challenging Louisiana's congressional map. The court ruling could impact a key part of the Voting Rights Act. CBS News' Jan Crawford reports.

Washington

The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case concerning Louisiana's congressional map, which centers on the use of race in redistricting under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Civil rights advocates argue that Section 2 is crucial for ensuring minority representation by requiring states to create majority-minority districts. However, critics contend that such practices may fuel racial divisions and question their necessity, given that minority candidates have been successful in non-majority districts.

The case arose after civil rights groups successfully sued for a second majority-black district in Louisiana, but the new map was then challenged by white voters who argued it was unconstitutional to consider race in redistricting. The Supreme Court's decision could have significant nationwide implications for how states draw legislative districts and for future redistricting efforts.

Supreme Court to hear case on fight over Louisiana congressional map

The Supreme Court hears arguments this morning in a case that could undermine one of the last surviving parts of the Voting Rights Act. Now that is one of the country's most important civil rights laws. Jan Crawford is at the Supreme Court with the latest. Jan, good morning. What can you tell us? Well, Gail, good morning. The court here today is going to be focused on part of that law that can require states to draw up legislative districts that sometimes zigzag across the state to group together voters based on their skin color. This is all to increase minority representation, and the court's decision could have sweeping implications nationwide. It is really troubling for anyone to pretend that race is not an unbelievably loud issue in our country right now. Civil rights advocates like Ashley Shelton say now is not the time to gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and end the use of race in redistricting. We cannot pretend that there isn't going to be considerable loss of minority voice and power if we were to do away with Section 2. Advocates credit Section 2 with increasing minority representation nationwide by requiring states to draw some districts that are majority black, like this congressional map in Louisiana. But critics say black candidates are winning in Louisiana and elsewhere in non-minority districts, and grouping people based on their race only fuels divisions. I think it's time to give people a chance and to continue to vote for people based on their character and their fitness for office. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Merle says the case shows how states are in an impossible position. Three years ago, civil rights groups, including Shelton's, sued under the Voting Rights Act to get a second black district, and won in court. But after Louisiana drew up the new map, a group of white voters sued, arguing the new minority district was unconstitutional because it considered race. The Constitution has told us to not sort people by race. The courts have told us we can't sort voters by race. And yet we are being told to go out and sort our voters by race. Now, the court has restricted the use of race in other areas, such as when it ended affirmative action and college admissions. If the justices use that reasoning in this case, that could really change the rules for how states draw up their legislative districts. The political implications could be huge, including in those current redistricting efforts for the midterms, possibly as soon as next year, Vlad. All right, Jan, thank you very much.

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