Supreme Court Ruling Threatens Black Voting Power Beyond Louisiana

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April 29, 2026

Brandon Tensley, Capital B News

Defendants in Louisiana’s congressional redistricting case stand together outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington in 2025 as the justices heard arguments in a case over efforts to reshape the state’s Black voting power. (Kuwilileni Hauwanga/Capital B)

Louisiana resident Press Robinson wasn’t surprised by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on Wednesday to strike down the state’s new majority-Black district. But he was deeply disappointed.

“They’re determined to see to it that we don’t have a voice at all,” Robinson, a participant in the case, said Wednesday, referring to Louisiana political leaders. He added that the court’s six conservative justices seem to want to take the country back to an era when Black Americans had no voting power.

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito maintained that Louisiana’s map “is an unconstitutional gerrymander, and its use would violate the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.”

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