WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is taking up an Alabama redistricting case that could have far-reaching effects on minority voting power across the United States.The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in the latest high-court showdown over the federal Voting Rights Act, lawsuits seeking to force Alabama to create a second Black majority congressional district.
About 27% of Alabamians are Black, but they form a majority in just one of the state’s seven congressional districts.The court’s conservatives, in a 5-4 vote in February, blocked a lower court ruling that would have required a second Black majority district in time for the 2022 midterm elections.A similar ruling to create an additional Black majority district in Louisiana also was put on hold.A law enforcement official stands in front of the U.S.
Supreme Court Building on Oct. 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Conservative high-court majorities have made it harder for racial minorities to use the Voting Rights Act in ideologically divided rulings in 2013 and 2021.
A ruling for the state in the new case could weaken another powerful tool civil rights groups and minority voters have used to challenge racial discrimination in redistricting.The case also has an overlay of partisan politics.