The US Supreme Court overturns Louisiana's electoral map months before elections

BarcelonaThe Supreme Court of the United States has overturned the electoral map of the state of Louisiana, arguing that lawmakers "illegally" relied on race to draw a new majority-black congressional district. The decision is a victory for Republicans, especially in an election year for mid-term elections, scheduled for November. The conservative majority imposed its opinion –with six votes in favor and three against–, while the liberal wing of the court opposed it because it considers that this dismantles the civil rights law passed in the 1960s to protect minorities.

The case dates back to a map that the Republican government of Louisiana drew up after the 2020 elections, in which it placed the majority of black voters in a single district. The decision was taken to court and this led to a new electoral map with two majority-African American districts. In his argument, Judge Samuel Alito states that it violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court's decision creates a precedent that limits the redesign of electoral maps across the country for racial reasons, a type of change that aimed to protect the electoral representation of minorities. The impact of the ruling on the mid-term elections is unclear, although legal experts have warned that states may try to enact new maps as a result of the decision.

Judge Alito stated that the new framework "reflects significant developments" since the court established factors for evaluating the use of race in voting maps in 1986. He cites the increase in minority voter turnout and argues that "the racial gap in voter registration and turnout has largely disappeared."

Conversely, liberal Justice Elena Kagan said that the practical effect of the decision will be to make it almost impossible to use race in drawing voting maps and that "the court's decision will roll back the fundamental right that Congress granted to racial equality." "Under the court's new view, a state can, without legal consequences, systematically dilute the voting power of minority citizens," Kagan stated in her dissenting opinion.