Justices Jackson, Alito spar over Supreme Court decision to expedite Louisiana redistricting ruling

The decision led liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to harshly criticize the court's conservative majority as Louisiana rushes to draw a new map for this year's election.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday, in granting an unusual request made by Louisiana Republicans, allowed last week's major voting rights ruling to go into effect immediately.

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The decision, which prompted an angry written exchange between liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and conservative Justice Samuel Alito, means the state doesn't have to wait the usual 32 days before a Supreme Court ruling is certified and sent back to a lower court.

Louisiana has sought to suspend its ongoing primary election so it can redraw congressional districts to take advantage of the ruling, which effectively greenlit states’ removing majority-Black districts that were drawn to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The state aims to draw a new map that can be used for this year's midterm election. The current map includes two majority-Black congressional districts held by Democrats. The four other seats are held by Republicans.