Alabama discriminated against Black voters when it drew its seven congressional districts last year, the supreme court has ruled, a decision that is a major victory for the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

 

The decision was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joining the court’s three liberal justices in the opinion. Writing for the majority of the court, Roberts noted the court was rejecting Alabama’s effort to get it to rewrite its longstanding interpretation of section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which outlaws voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race.

 

The decision means that section 2 of the law, one of its last remaining powerful provisions, will remain intact.

 

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https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/jun/08/supreme-court-voting-rights-decision-allen-milligan

 

What the Supreme Court’s surprise voting rights ruling means for 2024

 

The court’s 5-4 decision Thursday morning in Allen v. Milligan found that Alabama’s Republican-controlled legislature had diluted Black voting power by drawing only a single majority-Black congressional district (out of seven statewide seats) after the 2020 census.

 

The ruling will lead to the creation of an additional majority-Black congressional district in the state — eliminating a Republican-held seat and likely giving Democrats an additional seat in the House of Representatives, where Republicans currently hold a 222-213 edge.

 

The decision is a surprise victory for the Voting Rights Act, which was used to bring the challenge to the Supreme Court despite being repeatedly gutted by the high court.

 

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https://www.vox.com/voting-rights/23754443/supreme-court-alabama-voting-rights-act-congress-democrats-house-louisiana-south-carolina