Supreme Court Rejects Louisiana’s Race-Based Congressional Map
Decision issued April 29, 2026. In Louisiana v. Callais, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Louisiana’s SB8 congressional map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The Court concluded that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create the additional majority-minority district at issue, so no compelling interest justified the state’s use of race in drawing it.
The legal rule
Government racial classifications are subject to strict scrutiny. The Court explained that compliance with Section 2 can supply a compelling interest only when the statute, properly applied to present conditions and evidence, actually requires the race-conscious remedy. A state cannot justify race-predominant districting merely by showing that another majority-minority district can be drawn.
Why the ruling matters
The decision reinforces the principle that the Constitution sharply limits governmental use of race. It also clarifies the relationship between the Equal Protection Clause and the Voting Rights Act: the Act may require a remedy for a proven voting-rights violation, but it does not create a general license to sort voters by race.
The ruling is fact-specific. It does not eliminate Section 2 claims or hold that compliance with the Voting Rights Act can never be a compelling interest. Courts must examine current evidence, the statutory elements, traditional districting principles, and whether the use of race is narrowly tailored.
Primary source
Supreme Court of the United States, Louisiana v. Callais, Nos. 24-109 and 24-110, April 29, 2026.
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