1. United States
2. Letter

I write to express my profound disappointment in the Court's April 29, 2026 decision in Louisiana v. Callais. This ruling is not simply a technical interpretation of the law. It guts Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and removes one of the last meaningful safeguards protecting minority voters' right to fair representation. In a state where nearly one-third of the population is Black, allowing just one majority-Black congressional district is not equal representation. It is the denial of it. By permitting partisan goals to serve as a defense for racial discrimination in redistricting, the Court has made it far harder for communities of color to hold power in our democracy. Justice Kagan said it plainly in her dissent: this decision renders Section 2 all but a dead letter. I agree. And I fear the consequences will be felt for decades in statehouses, in Congress, and in the lives of voters who have waited generations to be heard. I urge the Court to reflect carefully on its legacy and its responsibility to all Americans.