Has the US Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act – and how?

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a Louisiana map creating two Black-majority congressional districts was unconstitutional.

Justice Samuel Alito authored the majority opinion describing the Louisiana map as an 'unconstitutional gerrymander'.

— Samuel Alito

Chief Justice John Roberts described the 6th Congressional District as a 'snake' stretching more than 320km to link specific cities.

— John Roberts

Governor Jeff Landry plans to suspend next month’s primary elections to allow state lawmakers time to approve a new congressional map.

— The Washington Post

The ruling is expected to make it harder for minorities to challenge electoral maps as racially discriminatory under the 1965 law.

Florida’s new districts are certain to face lawsuits because the state constitution prohibits redistricting for explicitly partisan purposes.

— DeSantis and his aides

The proposal presumed the outcome of the US supreme court’s Wednesday decision, which specifically struck down a Louisiana congressional district drawn for the electorate to be majority Black.

— Proposed by DeSantis’s map

The new map could increase Republicans’ advantage in Florida’s House delegation to 24 to four, up from the current split of 20 to eight.

— Governor Ron DeSantis

The decision could make it harder for Democrats to challenge Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in ways that limit the influence of voters of color.

— US supreme court ruling

Florida's bill seeks to reduce Democratic-leaning districts in Tampa, Orlando and parts of the state's southeast coast.

The new map puts Republicans on track to take 24 seats in the midterms, with four expected to go to Democrats.

— Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

President Trump’s approval has dipped to an all-time low amid the economic knock-ons of the US-Israel war with Iran.

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A Democratic majority in either chamber of Congress would serve as a major check to US President Donald Trump in the final two years of his second term.

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The new map has been criticized by Democrats, with State Representative Michele Rayner saying ‘Y’all are doing this because y’all’s daddy in the White House is injecting national political objectives into what should be a state-driven process’.

— State Representative Michele Rayner

The US Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s electoral map was unconstitutionally drawn to create two Black-majority districts.

The US Supreme Court formally reinstated a redrawn Texas electoral map expected to boost Republican representation in the US House.

The Supreme Court ruling split along ideological lines, with six conservative justices in the majority and three liberal justices dissenting.

A lower court had previously blocked the map after finding it was likely racially discriminatory and in violation of constitutional protections.

The redistricting was an intentional effort to limit the power of Black people and other people of colour.

— Damon Hewitt, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The redrawn map could flip up to five Democratic Party-held House seats to Republicans.

The supreme court ruled in February to reject a Republican challenge to California's new maps that could land Democrats five additional seats.

A district court judge blocked a new map, approved just the day before in a referendum.

Florida's population has grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage.

— Ron DeSantis