Supreme Court decision fuels gerrymandering push in Louisiana and other GOP states

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map, ruling it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and effectively ending the last remaining provision of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The Court expedited its opinion, enabling Governor Jeff Landry to suspend the state’s congressional primary and begin redrawing districts to favor Republicans. President Donald Trump praised Landry’s quick action on Truth Social and urged Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to "work hard to correct the unconstitutional flaw" in his state’s maps. House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed the call for states to adjust maps before the November midterms.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the sole dissenter, condemned the fast‑tracked ruling, writing that the Court’s decision “is tantamount to an approval of Louisiana’s rush to pause the ongoing election in order to pass a new map.” Following the decision, several other Republican‑led states—including Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah and Florida—have already drawn new GOP‑leaning maps, while Democratic‑controlled states such as California and Virginia moved to adopt maps favorable to Democrats. The controversy revives debate over partisan redistricting and its impact on upcoming elections.