The U.S. Supreme Court has just made a rather remarkable move: they’ve kicked Louisiana’s gerrymandering case to their next term. This redistricting case will now be decided in the fall after a scheduled rehearing.
After the court declared that it would like to rehear this case, analysts were quick to assume that this meant the court is swaying towards siding against the Voting Rights Act. Instead of deciding on the case this term, the court wants to wait until they reconvene and ask more questions. What questions do they have to ask? Nobody yet knows.
This move could very well mean that the conservative majority court is going to further tear apart the Voting Rights Act. As a result, this could pave the way for more gerrymandering — including racial gerrymandering — to become legal.
GOP Pushes for More Political and Racial Gerrymandering
This Louisiana case deals with the state’s congressional redistricting plan. This case began back in 2020, when Louisiana’s legislature drew new district lines that only allowed one majority Black district. The state’s population is about one-third Black.
After the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama — which had a similar redistricting plan — had diluted the Black vote in the state, Louisiana quickly redrew its own maps to allow for another majority Black district.
However, while this new plan helps to protect the seats of noted Republican lawmakers, such as Speaker Mike Johnson, a group of “non-African-American” voters sued to object to the redistricting, claiming that it is racial gerrymandering. It is this new objection that the Supreme Court is hearing. So, the issue these voters have is that there are now two Black majority districts, rather than the previous one.
This isn’t the first time conservatives have pushed for racial gerrymandering of their own. President Donald Trump has even recently encouraged Texas to redraw more GOP-friendly districts before 2026’s midterm elections — and thereby dilute the vote of Latino and Black Democrats.
Democrats Threaten Their Own Gerrymandering Plan
In an effort to redraw these Latino and Black represented Texas districts, the GOP has claimed that the current districts are “unconstitutional racial gerrymanders”. Of course, Republicans don’t point out that their own restructuring would also be a form of racial gerrymandering — and all in their attempt to dilute the Democratic vote and the vote of minorities.
The Supreme Court’s declaration that it will rehear Louisiana’s case has signaled to many that the court may indeed side with the non-African American voters, thereby allowing for the dilution of the Black vote in the state. If this happens, Texas will surely get away with its own recent redistricting ideas.
In retaliation for this, California Democrats have threatened that they will conduct political gerrymandering in their own state, all to keep the GOP from gaining an easy majority in the U.S. House.
If the Supreme Court indeed rules as many think they will come their next term, both political parties seem intent on utilizing gerrymandering to their own gain.
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