Conservative justices question constitutionality of key Voting Rights Act plank

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the voting rights case Louisiana v. Callais on Wednesday. Conservative justices seemed markedly skeptical of the proffered arguments in favor of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which allows people who believe their right to vote has been abridged to seek redress in the courts.

Section 2 of the VRA has been the linchpin in litigation efforts meant to address racial gerrymandering in Alabama, most notably in the case Allen v. Milligan which led to a special master redrawing the state’s Congressional districts.

Louisiana v. Callais revolves around the constitutionality of courts’ ability to require maps containing majority-minority districts under the VRA.

The state legislature in Louisiana initially approved Congressional district maps in 2022