An unexpected U.S. Supreme Court ruling has kept a key section of the Voting Rights Act in place, but the legal fight isn’t over.
The tension: The court found that Alabama’s congressional map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by minimizing the power of Black voters.
* Alabama’s GOP-controlled legislature must come up with a new redistricting plan by July 21.
* Challenges to voting districts in other states are set to move ahead.
Cracks in the coalition: Spencer Overton, a professor at George Washington University Law School, warns that the narrow 5-4 majority upholding Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act may not last.
* Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh did not join a section discussing race’s role in the redistricting process, possibly leaving room for a future change of opinion.
Future challenges: The court may soon rule on who has the right to sue to enforce Section 2, with the outcome of the Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. Arkansas Board of Apportionment case potentially ending the longstanding practice of private lawsuits.
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