Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, argued that Louisiana’s creation of a second majority-Black district was unconstitutional

In a major 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, labeling it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

Louisiana had redrawn its congressional map after the 2020 census, but in 2022, a federal judge struck it down, ruling that maintaining only one majority-Black district out of six likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which broadly prohibits racial discrimination.

However, on Wednesday, Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, argued that the state’s creation of a second majority-Black district to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act actually infringed upon the 14th Amendment rights of white voters.

While the White House hailed the verdict as a victory against the abuse of racial data in redistricting, dissenting Justice Elena Kagan warned the move eviscerates existing law.

Civil rights groups, including the NAACP, expressed concern that the ruling could allow over a dozen states to redraw maps and dilute the influence of minority voters ahead of upcoming elections.