More than a decade after the Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, and just two years after it declined to unravel another piece of the law, the Supreme Court will convene to hear a legal battle over Louisiana's congressional map that could reverberate throughout the nation.

Washington

The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a redistricting case from Louisiana that centers on two predominantly Black congressional districts. The case focuses on the interpretation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which allows individuals to challenge district lines that may dilute their voting power based on race or color. This section remains one of the last significant protections after previous Supreme Court decisions weakened other parts of the Act.

The outcome of this case could significantly affect the ability of voters to challenge redistricting in federal court and may alter how lawmakers draw district lines in the future. The decision has potential implications not only for congressional representation but also for state legislatures, possibly reshaping the political landscape for minority voters nationwide.

What's at stake as Supreme Court weighs future of Voting Rights Act

We begin tonight with the fate of the Voting Rights Act, as the Supreme Court weighs a redistricting case out of Louisiana. At issue, two predominantly black congressional districts and a ruling that could reshape minority voting power nationwide. Legal contributor Jessica Levinson joins me now to break down the case. So Jessica, remind us again what's at the heart of this case. So, at the heart of this case is essentially how much power Section 2 of the Voting Rights is going to have. To remind everybody, this is part of the landmark piece of legislation, the Voting Rights Act, and it's essentially the only part that's left standing after the Supreme Court hobbled the other half of it, Section 5, back in 2013. So this is a section where if people feel that district lines impermissibly dilute their right to vote on the basis of race or color, this is the section that they sue under. And so it does a lot of work, not just in redistricting, but when it comes to any issue related to voting practices and procedures. And so the continued strength of Section 2 as a potential remedy for these types of claims is really what hangs in the balance. And so what's at stake then with this ruling? So what's at stake, of course, is what we talked about legally. This could be a sea change in terms of people's ability to sue in federal court and say, the way these lines are drawn, I cannot elect the candidate of my choosing. My power as a voter is diminished as a result of my race or my color. So that's legally what's at issue. Politically what's at issue is that if the court comes out with a decision that says either that it's impermissible to consider race at all when trying to draw lines or trying to draw lines that remedy a potential violation of the Voting Rights Act, then that would give lawmakers a lot more power to draw lines in ways that could do things like increase voting power. That obviously has huge implications, not just for the House of Representatives, which arguably hangs in the balance, but also for a lot of state legislatures as well.

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