The Electorette
The Electorette
Can the Voting Rights Act Survive This Supreme Court Term?
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Can the Voting Rights Act Survive This Supreme Court Term?

Sophia Lin Lakin on How the Supreme Court Could Dismantle the Law Protecting Voters

The U.S. Supreme Court is once again preparing to rule on a case that could further dismantle the Voting Rights ActCallais v. Landry. At the center of this case is Section 2, one of the last remaining protections against racial discrimination in voting.

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After Louisiana courts ruled that the state’s congressional map illegally diluted Black voting power, a new map was drawn to include a second majority-Black district. But now, a group of white voters — and the state of Louisiana itself — are asking the Court to go even further, claiming that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional.

If the Court agrees, it could strip away the very protections that ensure voters of color can participate equally in our democracy.

To unpack the case and its sweeping implications, Jen Taylor Skinner speaks with Sophia Lin Lakin, Director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, whose team represents Black voters in this landmark case. They discuss the history behind Section 2, the chilling parallels to Shelby County v. Holder, and what this moment could mean for the future of voting rights in America.

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