In a recent development, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has called on the U.S. Supreme Court to allow states primary jurisdiction over legislative redistricting to address violations of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This appeal comes as part of the Louisiana v. Callais case, where a coalition of 20 attorneys general, including Brown, supports Louisiana’s efforts to maintain a congressional map with two majority-Black districts.
The controversy began when a 2022 ruling by the federal court in the Middle District of Louisiana identified that the state’s congressional map likely diluted Black voters’ influence, breaching Section 2 of the VRA. In an effort to rectify this, Louisiana’s legislature revised the map in 2024 to include an additional majority-Black district. However, this amendment was challenged by a group of non-African American voters in the Western District of Louisiana, who argued that the new map constituted racial gerrymandering in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
Caught between conflicting court decisions, Louisiana found itself unable to enact the new map designed to resolve these voting inequalities. The Supreme Court is set to determine the correctness of the Western District of Louisiana’s decision, which had barred the state from implementing the 2024 map.
The coalition, representing states including California, New York, and Pennsylvania, among others, argues that the Constitution assigns state legislatures the primary role in redistricting to specifically address such voting inequalities. They contend that Louisiana had sufficient grounds to adjust its districts in compliance with the VRA, countering the recent challenge and supporting the maintenance of the Supreme Court’s longstanding interpretation of Section 2 of the VRA.
Attorney General Brown emphasized the historical significance of the VRA, stating, “The right to cast a ballot is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it should be protected.” The coalition urges the Supreme Court to uphold the precedence that allows states the leeway to create voting districts with racial demographics in mind, ensuring compliance with the VRA and fostering electoral equity.
