What A Day SCOTUS Clears The Way for Gerrymandering
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Apr 30, 2026 
Leah Littman, law professor and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny legal podcast, breaks down the Supreme Court ruling that upends a Louisiana majority-Black district. She discusses how the decision reframes race as politics, what it means for redistricting and voting protections, and the likely short- and long-term ripple effects on elections.
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SCOTUS Decision Erodes Section Two Protections
- The Supreme Court's ruling effectively dismantled core protections of the Voting Rights Act by making Section 2 much harder to enforce.
- Leah Littman explains the decision makes it nearly impossible to show violations where race and party correlate, enabling dilution of minority voting power.
How The Voting Rights Act Worked Historically
- The Voting Rights Act was created in 1965 to stop systemic disenfranchisement and included preclearance and a nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting.
- Leah Littman highlights Congress repeatedly expanded Section 2 to ban laws with discriminatory effects, not just intent.
Partisan Intent Now Masks Racial Gerrymandering
- The Court treats partisan motives as a shield against claims of racial vote dilution when race and party are correlated.
- Littman warns this lets legislatures claim partisan intent to excuse maps that disproportionately lock minority voters out of power.