1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Congress must immediately pass legislation to restore Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court's Louisiana v Callais decision gutted the last remaining tool to fight racial discrimination in voting. The 6-3 decision makes it nearly impossible to challenge discriminatory redistricting by requiring plaintiffs to prove intentional racial discrimination rather than discriminatory effects. Justice Alito's new test forbids considering race when drawing alternative maps and demands proof that minority cohesiveness stems from race rather than party affiliation, an impossible standard when the two are intertwined. As Justice Kagan wrote in dissent, this "renders section 2 all but a dead letter" and gives lawmakers permission to systematically dilute minority voting power. This follows the 2013 Shelby County decision that eliminated federal preclearance requirements. Now both major provisions protecting voters of color have been destroyed. States are already considering redrawing maps to weaken Black and minority representation. When asked if states should redraw districts, Trump said "I would." The Voting Rights Act protected Americans for nearly 60 years. Congress has the constitutional authority to pass new legislation with clear standards that courts cannot dismantle. Pass a bill that explicitly allows race-conscious remedies for vote dilution and restores the effects-based standard that worked for decades.