The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on October 15, 2025, in Callais v. Louisiana, a case challenging whether creating a second majority-Black congressional district violates the Constitution. Conservative justices appeared inclined to limit Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, potentially allowing Republicans to gain up to 19 House seats. The ruling could reshape minority representation in Congress.
The case stems from Louisiana's 2021 congressional map, drawn by Republican lawmakers after the 2020 census. Black voters, who comprise about one-third of the state's population, were concentrated into one majority-Black district, with the remaining five districts majority-white. This configuration gave Black Louisianans representation in only one district. In 2022, a federal court struck down the map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits diluting minority voting power and ensures opportunities to elect preferred candidates.
The legislature then created a new map with two majority-Black districts, which was used in the 2024 elections and helped Democrats secure a second Louisiana seat. However, a group of white voters, led by Phillip Callais, challenged it as unconstitutional racial discrimination under the 14th and 15th Amendments. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican, approved the map to comply with court orders but now argues it violates equal protection by relying on race. "We've said all along, if section two requires us to do that, then it is in conflict with the equal protection clause," Murrill told Fox News.
During arguments, Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated the VRA "entails the intentional, deliberate use of race to sort people into different districts" and suggested such remedies need a "time limit." Justice Neil Gorsuch repeatedly called the creation of a majority-Black district intentional discrimination. Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned if Section 2 exceeds the 15th Amendment by addressing discriminatory effects beyond intent. Justice Samuel Alito proposed viewing maps as partisan rather than racial gerrymanders. Justice Sonia Sotomayor countered that the logic allows race to harm but not help minorities: "You can use [race] to help yourself achieve goals that reduce a particular [racial] group’s electoral participation, but you can’t use it to remedy that situation."
The Trump Justice Department supports limiting Section 2, arguing it is no longer constitutional. Two years ago, the Court upheld the VRA in Allen v. Milligan against a similar Alabama challenge. A ruling against Section 2 could enable Republican-led states like Florida, Georgia, and Texas to redraw maps, potentially netting Republicans 15 to 19 House seats and eliminating up to 30% of the Congressional Black Caucus, per a report from Black Voters Matter Fund and Fair Fight Action. Cliff Albright of Black Voters Matter warned, "What happens in these states impacts the entire country." Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry urged a decision by early January 2026 to avoid election disruptions.
