The U.S. Supreme Court hears Louisiana v. Callais today, a blockbuster Voting Rights Act case that could reset the rules for drawing political maps, directly affecting Alabama’s ongoing and future redistricting battles.
Currently, Alabama is either under federal order, or active litigation related to the Voting Rights Act on the local, state, and federal levels respectively.
Callais asks whether creating a second majority-Black district to comply with the Voting Rights Act violates the Constitution’s equal-protection guarantees.
Legal observers say that the Court might be poised use the case as a vehicle to phase out Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act which is the very legal provision that has underpinned challenges to Alabama’s maps under claims of minority vote dilution.
If the Court narrows or eliminates Section 2, it could upend the foundation for Alabama’s recent and pending suits at the county, state, and federal levels.
You can listen live to today’s arguments at 9:00 a.m. on C-SPAN’s website.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.