Live Coverage: Louisiana v. Callais SCOTUS arguments

ACLU staff attorney Megan Keenan shares her thoughts after oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais today. We won't allow politicians to try and dilute the power of Black voters in Louisiana or anywhere else.

While we fight in court to protect the right to vote, we need your help to bring this fight to Congress. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore the Voting Rights Act to its full power and expand its protections, putting a check on diluting minority voting power and other forms of voting discrimination.

Tell Congress to act now to pass this vital legislation.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark civil rights law that is still a critical defense against voter suppression. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act bans racially discriminatory voting practices nationwide and is a powerful tool for voters to challenge them.

At the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, we’ve relied on the Voting Rights Act to combat discrimination. But increasingly, we’re fighting to save the Act itself.

The Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais will not only determine the next steps for Louisiana’s congressional map, but could shape the future of redistricting cases nationwide.

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When Louisiana finally won a second-majority Black district in 2024, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. For decades, Black voters like me knew that having only one voting district where we could be heard was not enough to reflect a third of the state’s population. So when the state gained a second seat, I thought of those who fought tirelessly before me, and never received this fair representation. But with joy comes caution 一 this fight is far from over.

I’ve been a member of the team advocating for a fair congressional map in Louisiana since 2022. Now, the state’s current congressional map is in jeopardy. This time, a group of “non-African-American” voters have challenged the map that includes two majority-Black districts.

Louisiana v. Callais is critical in determining the future of Louisiana for Black people.

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The ACLU and our partners are live outside the Supreme Court now for a press conference following oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais. Watch now.

No matter what, we will always fight to ensure that Black voters have an equal voice.

Oral arguments have started in Louisiana v. Callais. Listen now:

Good morning! The ACLU, ACLU of Louisiana, and Legal Defense Fund are at the Supreme Court today for oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, where we’re defending fair maps that give Black voters a meaningful say at the polls.

Feeling a little déjà vu? That’s because this case was already argued in front of the Supreme Court in March of this year. In June, the Court issued an order to rehear the case this term. The court has asked for rearguments in cases before, like in Brown v. Board of Education, where the justices unanimously struck down racial segregation. So, we’re back at the Supreme Court again to defend Black voting power.

This case started back in 2022, when the ACLU and our partners sued Louisiana for violating the Voting Rights Act by illegally packing Black Louisianans into one congressional district. After the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision that said we were likely to succeed in proving our case, the Louisiana legislature enacted a new congressional map containing two majority Black districts.

In 2024, a group of white Louisianans challenged this new map as a racial gerrymander under the Fourteenth Amendment. A district court struck down the new map, but we successfully petitioned the Supreme Court for an emergency stay on the district court’s order, ensuring that Louisiana voters had a map with two majority-Black congressional districts for the 2024 election.

The court will now rule on the constitutionality of drawing majority-Black districts to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Follow along for live updates throughout the day.