U.S. Supreme Court rulings trigger Republican Senate push to reshape Black voting districts

The U.S. Supreme Court issued two recent decisions that narrowed the scope of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. While the opinions were described as surprisingly timid, they leave the law further weakened and open to challenges.

In response, Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Chair Sen. Eric Schmitt (R‑MO) held a hearing urging Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to review and intervene in state redistricting maps. Schmitt cited efforts in the South—where over half of the nation’s Black population resides—to eliminate majority‑Black congressional districts and suspend primary contests, and he called for action against similar laws in California and Illinois.