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On The Docket: Equal Representation in Louisiana

John,

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case, Louisiana v. Callais, that’s connected to a core American value: every person’s basic right to equal representation in the halls of power.

Black Louisianans have fought tenaciously for that principle of equality, and last year they finally secured a new congressional map that no longer dilutes their political power.

But this case will determine not only the future of Louisiana’s Voting Rights Act-compliant map — it could also impact the future of the law itself.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is the crown jewel of the civil rights movement. When it was signed into law nearly 60 years ago, it provided groundbreaking progress and necessary, overdue change.

But this seminal law’s foundational values are under attack, threatening the very citizens it is meant to protect.

Over decades, anti-democracy forces have tried to configure electoral maps in order to minimize the political power of communities of color. Critical protections enshrined in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act — which prohibits lawmakers from diluting the political power of communities of color — are designed to protect those communities. And in recent years, they did.

Over the last few years, federal courts repeatedly struck down egregiously racially gerrymandered maps in states like Alabama and Louisiana, where the courts found that the maps passed by those states’ legislatures obstructed Black voters’ equal participation in the political process.

Rather than accepting that result and drawing maps that lawfully provide communities of color with equal opportunities, however, extremists turned to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to change the rules and attacking Section 2.

In their 2023 Allen v. Milligan decision — a profound victory for the fair maps movement — the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Alabama leaders’ attempt to further undermine the Voting Rights Act, refusing to invalidate Section 2 of the law.

After Milligan, Louisiana finally enacted a VRA-compliant map — capping years of litigation where our affiliate, the National Redistricting Foundation, supported Louisiana voters in their fight.

This map ensures that Black Louisianians can exercise their long denied but rightful voting power, finally ensuring they are able to elect the candidate of their choice for Congress on an equal basis.

But unfortunately, that was not the end of the story: One of the most ideologically driven, conservative federal courts in the country struck down Louisiana’s fair map, ignoring the Supreme Court’s extremely recent precedent in Milligan.

That brings us to where we are today.

The case in front of the Supreme Court this morning should not be difficult to resolve. Federal law, the Supreme Court’s own precedent, and basic fairness dictate that Black Louisianians must vote on truly representative and fair maps.

A decision that does not recognize that fact or that weakens the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would signal an alarming retreat into a past that so many have fought so long and so hard to pull the country from.

Now, the eyes of the nation are on the Supreme Court. No matter what happens next, All On The Line will be here to fight gerrymandering and help ensure fair representation – in Louisiana, and across the country.

I’m proud that our affiliate has fought alongside voters in states like Louisiana as they struggle for full, equal participation in our democracy. With your support, the All On The Line campaign will continue to expose attempts at map manipulation, rally activists against proposals that would silence voters’ voices, and advocate for policies that keep political power where it belongs: in the hands of the American people.

Thank you for helping to make this work possible. I hope you’ll keep powering the fight for free and fair elections by making a contribution of any amount today. → [link removed]

Sincerely,

Eric H. Holder, Jr.
82nd Attorney General of the United States

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