Ashley Cleaves, Legal Content Editor

Trump and Republicans are racing to eliminate Black political power after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. But courts are also grappling with what comes next. We’re currently tracking 29 active lawsuits seeking fair maps under the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The Callais decision will touch every level of government from Congress to city councils. Here are a few cases we are watching closely next week:

• Georgia congressional map: After a district court found Georgia’s congressional districts in violation of the VRA, the state redrew them to add a majority-Black district in Metro Atlanta. With Georgia poised to redraw its maps this summer, the state will make the case for why its current map is no longer needed in a brief to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
  
  
• Alabama legislative map: Black voters have sued and won a lawsuit over Alabama’s legislative districts. Now, the state is trying to eliminate gains made in the state House. We’ll see how Black voters respond in filings next week.
  
  
• Mississippi supreme court map: Mississippi officials and Black voters are expected to update the court next week on further action in light of Callias. A district court found the state’s supreme court map violated the VRA. Now the district court must determine what comes next after the Republican legislature failed to draw a compliant map at the court’s request. 
  
  
• DeSoto County, Mississippi maps: Black voters in Desoto County, MS are also challenging maps governing the county board of supervisors, county election commission, and county school board. No black candidate has been elected countywide in at least 20 years. After the trial took place earlier this year, the parties are briefing the court on how Callais impacts their case.
  
  
• Baton Rouge, Lousiana's metro council map: Black voters in Baton Rouge aren’t just fighting for a fair congressional map. They are seeking better representation in local government too. The case was paused while the district court waited for a decision in Callais. Next week, parties seek to help the judge navigate the new legal landscape under the VRA.

It’s a new frontier in redistricting. My team works tirelessly to read and analyze every filing to understand what it will mean for voters as soon as we see them on the docket. That research is the foundation for every Democracy Docket story you read, and it only exists because of reader support.