SCOTUS Dismantles Remainder of the 1965 Voting Rights Act

"It's like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm

because you are not getting wet" ~ Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

On Wednesday, April 29, the Supreme Court determined, in Louisiana v. Callais, that the state of Louisiana was guilty of an unconstitutional racial gerrymander when it created a second majority-black congressional district, and invalidated that map.  In addition, the court decided that the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) were no longer necessary and rendered the Act essentially dead.  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/supreme-court-voids-majority-black-congressional-district-in-louisiana-boosting-republican-chances

The VRA is a federal law allowing Black Americans to register, to vote, and banning a series of tactics commonly used in the Jim Crow South to prevent Blacks from voting.  As a result of the VRA, Black Americans did vote and were able to achieve congressional representation. In 2013, in Shelby County v. Holder, SCOTUS removed the requirement for preclearance for any new voting rules by states with a history of racial discrimination in voting practices. Justice Ginsburg offered the above "umbrella" quote in her dissent.  https://www.rockthevote.org/explainers/shelby-v-holder/

https://www.whobuiltamerica.org/item/ruth-bader-ginsburg-dissent-in-shelby-co-v-holder

As a result of these two cases, our elections will be less fair and our government less effective.  (See "WHY THIS MATTERS" below.)  

WHAT TO DO

Share this information with your family and friends. Encourage them to join us in fighting back against the authoritarian regime.

Contact your elected national and state representatives. 

Use https://5calls.org/ or the bullet points below: 

- Senator Thom Tillis: (202) 224-6342

- Senator Ted Budd: (202) 224-3154

- Representative Pat Harrigan: (202) 225-2576

- Representative Virginia Foxx: (202) 225-2071  

Find your NC representatives at https://www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators

Demand that they:

 - Remember that they work for The People, not big business. 

 - Stop trying to restrict your ability to vote (SAVE America Act, various voter ID laws).

 - Stop passing legislation (and in the case of state legislators, congressional district maps) that enables them to choose their voters.  Citizens are to choose their representatives.

Please check to be certain your voting registration remains valid. https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

VOTE!!  Start planning now for how you will vote whether in person early, by mail, or in person on Election Day. Keep in mind that mail-in ballots must be sent extra early, since we cannot depend on the timing of the USPS delivery. 

Please encourage your friends and neighbors to vote. If you can assist others with getting out to vote, please do so. 

Consider how you can support minority-owned businesses and groups. Here are a few options to think about this week: 

·      Spring Into Summer Family Festival at Taft Broome Park, Thursday, May 7 from 5-7 PM https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=spring%20into%20summer

·      Visit / join Hickory NAACP. They meet on the second Sunday of each month at 3 PM. This month’s meeting is Sunday, May 10, at 3 PM at Hartzell United Methodist Church. All are welcome! 

Why It Matters

The following are broadly considered likely outcomes of the present case (or have already occurred.)

Mail-in ballots were already being collected in the 2026 Louisiana congressional primary, but the governor has paused the election to permit the redrawing of district lines, with the goal of eliminating the two majority-black districts and giving Louisiana 2 more Republican seats in Congress and an all-Republican caucus.  He has already been sued to allow the election to go forward.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/29/louisiana-house-primaries-suspend-jeff-landry/

Florida immediately moved to take advantage of this ruling to redistrict ahead of the 2026 midterms, with Tennessee and other states following close behind. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/state-redistricting-battles-intensify-following-u-s-supreme-court-ruling-on-voting-rights-act

Black American representation in Congress will significantly diminish as this process continues.  With race no longer a factor in drawing maps, it should be possible for Republicans to net 12-19 more safe seats in Congress within the next couple election cycles. Many states are expected to "hit the accelerator" on redistricting for 2028 and beyond, resulting in fewer contestable congressional seats throughout the nation, and many more Americans will be without a true voice in choosing their representatives.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/redistricting-2026-midterm-elections-supreme-court/

Elected officials are choosing their voters, rather than voters choosing their representatives, and We the People are, and should be, tired of this.

Thank you for everything you do to protect our democracy! 

ICCV Legislative Committee  

“With Liberty and Justice for ALL”