Supreme Court Limits Use of Race in Redistricting in Victory for Republicans
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday by ruling that a congressional map in Louisiana constitutes unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, even though it was designed to comply with the historic law aimed at protecting minority voters. In a 6-3 decision led by the conservative majority, the justices indicated that states can almost never consider race when drawing maps to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which was created to safeguard minority voters who have long faced electoral discrimination. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, stated that while there may be extreme situations where the use of race is justified in map drawing, this was not the case in Louisiana. As a result, the new map was deemed an 'unconstitutional racial gerrymander,' he added. In a separate concurring opinion, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, a longtime critic of the Voting Rights Act, argued that the ruling should 'largely put an end' to a system that he believes illegally divides people into districts based on race. The three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Elena Kagan warning that the 'consequences are likely to be broad and severe.'