We’re as tired of the relentless redistricting upheaval as you are, but, unfortunately, this week brought no rest for the weary.
When the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued its historic ruling in April gutting the Voting Rights Act, the conservative majority left open a small glimmer of hope that they might still strike down unfair maps if plaintiffs could prove intentional racial discrimination. This week, they slammed that door shut, issuing a catastrophic order allowing Alabama to use a congressional map that a federal court had just ruled was “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination.”
So much for this week. Next week, we’ll be keeping an eye on a hearing in Missouri’s lengthy battle over which congressional map is in place for the upcoming midterms. And later this month, Georgia lawmakers are set to take up redistricting for 2028.
As always, thanks for reading.
Jen Rice, Reporter
‘There is no longer a Voting Rights Act in America’
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority delivered a historic final blow to the VRA this week when it allowed Alabama to use a congressional map previously found to have intentionally discriminated against Black voters.
Reactions poured in from across the country. But Rep. Shomari Figures, the Alabama Democrat whose district the ruling directly targets, may have said it best: “The Supreme Court has now confirmed that there is no longer a Voting Rights Act in America, and states are essentially free to discriminate against minority voters with no consequences. This is a dangerous ruling that sets the State and this nation back decades.”
We covered the ruling from multiple angles: Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s blistering dissent, SCOTUS’ brazen reversal of its own conclusion about this exact map just two years ago, and the collective horrified reaction from voting advocates and Democrats.
The attacks on democracy are coordinated — our response must be too. Become a premium member for $120/year and fuel the investigative work that reveals the far right’s playbook.
New York lays the groundwork for 2028 redistricting
We’re starting to learn some details about Democrats’ plan to redraw New York maps in response to Trump’s redistricting war. The party will amend the New York state constitution to allow the legislature to redraw the maps mid-decade by a simple majority vote. Voters would need to approve the proposal in a referendum in November 2027. The amendment would also allow mapmakers to pursue explicitly partisan goals — like helping a political party win more seats — in redistricting.
Callais plaintiffs are already trying to eliminate Louisiana’s remaining majority-Black district
After SCOTUS made their wildest racial gerrymander fantasies come true this April, the white plaintiffs in Callais — or officially, a group of “non-African American voters” — hardly took a beat in their mission to eliminate all Black congressional representation in Louisiana.
They’ve since demanded the state quickly pass a map with just one majority-Black district so that they can challenge it as still being a racial gerrymander before the midterms. However, the Supreme Court’s order in Alabama earlier this week made it clear that the new map is most likely locked in for this year. But expect another long challenge for Black voters ahead of 2028.
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Thanks to President Donald Trump’s redistricting war and the SCOTUS ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, Republicans have potentially gained up to 14 seats this year — five in Texas, four in Florida and one each in Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama. Democrats have potentially gained up to six seats — five in California and one in Utah.
A new poll of Black women in Mississippi found that 58% are very worried about threats to voting rights.
We’ll take whatever wins we can get. Ballot-seizing sheriff Chad Bianco is set to lose his California governor bid.
What we’re doing
Voting is now underway in Michigan’s annual contest to pick this year’s “I Voted” stickers. There’s already a clear favorite in the Democracy Docket office (see below) — but, of course, feel free to cast your vote for any candidate you wish. Voting runs through June 30. Non-Michiganders: Keep us posted on voting sticker news in your neck of the woods!
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