U.S. Supreme Court decision weakens Voting Rights Act, spurring Alabama civil‑rights rally

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais held that states are not required to consider race when drawing congressional and other districts, further weakening the Voting Rights Act. The decision effectively ends the pre‑clearance requirement and allows states to redraw historically Black districts without race‑based considerations.

In response, a multiracial coalition of civil‑rights groups—including the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and local activists—organized rallies in Alabama’s historic sites of Selma and Montgomery. NAACP president Derrick Johnson said, “We have to respond as quickly as possible,” while Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock warned that the ruling is “Jim Crow in new clothes.” Organizers called the gathering a catalyst for a “second Reconstruction” and urged Congress to re‑introduce the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act to restore pre‑clearance and curb partisan gerrymandering.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell highlighted the threat to her Selma seat under new redistricting maps and called for a modern formula to expose state actors’ egregious behavior. The events aim to protect diverse political representation and push for legislative reforms to counter the court’s decision.