“A Devastating Blow to the Voting Rights Act”: NAACP Responds After Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana’s Majority-Black Congressional District

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has invalidated Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district, a ruling that voting rights advocates warn could give Republican-led states across the country the legal cover to dismantle Black and Latino districts and reshape the balance of power in Congress.

The case, Louisiana vs. Callais, centered on a district held by Democrat Cleo Fields. The court ruled that race played too central a role in how the district was drawn. Chief Justice John Roberts had taken issue with the district’s geography, noting that it winds more than 200 miles through the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge areas.

The NAACP responded swiftly and forcefully with a public statement.

“Today’s decision is a devastating blow to what remains of the Voting Rights Act, and a license for corrupt politicians who want to rig the system by silencing entire communities,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “The Supreme Court betrayed Black voters, they betrayed America, and they betrayed our democracy. But the people still can fight back. Our best defense and offense is the ballot box.”

NAACP General Counsel Kristen Clarke called it one of the most consequential rulings of the century.

“The Supreme Court has put the death knell into our nation’s most important federal civil rights law, one that provided Black Americans access to a democracy that they had long been excluded from,” Clarke said. “This will embolden lawmakers in former slave-holding states to target and eradicate districts that have provided Black Americans a fair opportunity to elect candidates of choice, and they will do so with the blessing of this Court.”

Clarke added that the NAACP will not stand down. “This is not a moment for any one of us to sit on the sidelines. We will continue to fight and ensure that our voices are heard this midterm election cycle.”