The U.S. Supreme Court has dealt a massive blow to voting rights, and the impact is expected to hit home hard here in North Carolina.
In a six-to-three ruling in Louisiana versus Callais, the Court effectively gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision now requires plaintiffs to prove "intentional discrimination" to strike down a map—a standard that critics say makes it nearly impossible to challenge racially biased redistricting.
Dissenting Justice Elena Kagan specifically warned that this ruling allows minority voters to be "cracked" out of the electoral process. For North Carolina, this likely kills current legal challenges against the state’s congressional maps, including the fight over the First District.
Adrienne Kelly of Democracy North Carolina called the ruling a "profound betrayal," noting that the state's long history of gerrymandering is exactly what the now-weakened law was meant to prevent.
