Supreme Court sharply limits use of race in redistricting in a win for Republicans

The Supreme Court ruled for Republicans in a congressional redistricting case from Louisiana, ruling that a new map was a racial gerrymander even though it was drawn to comply with the Voting Rights Act.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday, ruling that a congressional map in Louisiana was a racial gerrymander even though it was drawn to comply with the landmark law aimed at protecting minority voters.

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The justices, split 6-3 with the court's conservatives in the majority, told states they can almost never consider race when they draw maps to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which was enacted to protect minority voters who long faced discrimination in elections.

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, said that while there may be extreme situations in which the use of race can be justified to draw maps, no such conditions existed in the Louisiana case. As a result, the new map was an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander," he added.