1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

The Supreme Court's order for new briefs in the Louisiana redistricting case is concerning for the protection of voting rights and democracy. The creation of a second majority-Black congressional district was a crucial step to provide fair representation and prevent the dilution of Black voters' voices, as required by the Voting Rights Act. However, the Court's request to address whether this intentional creation violates the 14th or 15th Amendments raises alarm bells. These Amendments were enacted after the Civil War to establish equality and protect the right to vote for formerly enslaved people. Questioning whether drawing a majority-minority district to comply with the VRA could violate these very protections seems antithetical to their purpose of safeguarding voting rights. It risks enabling discrimination under the guise of equal protection. We urge the Court to uphold the Louisiana Legislature's 2024 map and affirm that states can and should create districts that provide fair representation to minority communities, as mandated by the VRA. Striking down this map would undermine decades of progress in protecting the fundamental right to vote and weaken democracy by silencing millions of citizens. The Court must reject any interpretation that would gut the VRA's power to combat racial discrimination in voting.