Overview
- The Court’s 6–3 ruling Wednesday in Louisiana v. Callais struck down Louisiana’s added majority-Black district and said Section 2 is violated only with intentional discrimination, drawing a sharp dissent from Justice Elena Kagan.
- Louisiana’s governor suspended the May 16 U.S. House primary after ballots had already gone out, a three-judge federal panel halted the contest, and lawsuits quickly challenged the pause as voters worried their returned ballots would not count.
- Florida’s Republican-led Legislature approved a new congressional map hours after the decision, with analysts and officials saying it could net the GOP up to four additional seats this fall.
- Across the South, Republican officials moved or signaled plans to change maps as Alabama sought expedited Supreme Court review of its case, Tennessee leaders faced pressure to reconvene, Mississippi set a special session for state supreme court districts, and Georgia said 2026 changes are off because voting is underway.
- Election officials now face urgent tasks like recoding millions of voters into new districts and redoing candidate qualification, and experts warn this could fuel a mid‑decade redistricting arms race through 2026 and into 2028.