In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's April 29 ruling in Callais v. Louisiana—which struck down a second majority-Black congressional district as racial gerrymandering—civil rights advocates in the Deep South have condemned the decision as a threat to Black representation. States including Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana are redrawing maps, prompting vows of lawsuits and midterm mobilization.
The Callais v. Louisiana decision, part of the existing series on this Supreme Court case, has ignited swift backlash across the Deep South, echoing the region's voting rights struggles from the 1965 Selma marches. Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock called it a 'slap in the face of the civil rights martyrs,' evoking Jim Crow exclusion from power. NPR's Debbie Elliott reported from Orange Beach, Alabama.
Republican leaders responded rapidly: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey convened a special session starting Monday after AG Steve Marshall sought to lift injunctions, arguing against a 'Black versus white' lens. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee scheduled a session to target a majority-Black Memphis district. Louisiana canceled its May primary for redistricting.
Black voters and advocates expressed alarm. Shalela Dowdy, an Alabama plaintiff and candidate, warned of power being stripped from Black communities, signaling a new civil rights battle. Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation pledged: 'We will organize, strategize, mobilize... History has taught us when we unite, we win.' Lawsuits are advancing in Louisiana, with fights expected in courts and statehouses ahead of 2026 midterms.
