Voting Rights

The U.S. Supreme Court last week issued a ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that dismantled key elements of the Voting Rights Act. The decision has prompted swift redistricting efforts in multiple states. Revelations about the lead plaintiff have also surfaced.

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Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature approved a new congressional map on Thursday that splits majority-Black Shelby County into three districts. The move aims to remove the state’s only Democratic-held U.S. House seat. Governor Bill Lee signed the map into law shortly after passage.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on April 29 that Louisiana's congressional map, which included a second majority-Black district, constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires proof of intentional discrimination, not just disparate impact. The decision, in Louisiana v. Callais, limits race-based redistricting and prompts new maps in several states.

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Tufts University has paused publication of its widely used National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement reports after the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into whether the project’s data-matching practices violate federal student privacy law. The department has also warned participating colleges that using new NSLVE data could put their federal funding at risk.

President Donald Trump called for Republicans to take over election administration in several states, suggesting a nationalization of voting processes. While many GOP senators rejected a full federal takeover, they expressed support for the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship for voter registration. Democrats have criticized the legislation as voter suppression reminiscent of Jim Crow laws.

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President Donald Trump called for Republicans to take control of elections in at least 15 states during a Monday interview, citing concerns over illegal voting and election integrity. The remarks came amid an FBI raid on a Georgia election office probing 2020 interference allegations. Trump tied the push to his unsubstantiated claims of winning the 2020 election decisively.