UUSC Denounces Supreme Court Decision Weakening Voting Rights Act 

In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has undermined a core tenet of federal civil rights law, distorting the original purpose of the 14th Amendment in order to reduce the political representation of nonwhite communities. 

By a vote of 6-3, the court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais barred use of a congressional redistricting map, holding the map to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The decision reverses four decades of precedent that sought to limit discriminatory redistricting. 

Wednesday’s ruling did not formally strike down a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as some observers had initially feared. However, Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent (joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson) wrote the outcome made the provision “all but a dead letter.” 

UUSC denounces the Supreme Court decision which will certainly make it more difficult and burdensome for voters of color to challenge redistricting maps that dilute their representation. This will embolden those who wish to further marginalize oppressed groups by making changes to legislative boundaries, seeking to diminish the power of their vote. 

UUSC President Mary Katherine Morn stated, “The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, as Justice Kagan argues, guts hard-won protections for voting rights in the United States. The generations of activists who fought, some who died, for these protections did not, however, fight in vain. It is for us, now, to push back against cynical interpretations of constitutional rights which protect privilege and diminish all of us. We will not abandon our work for a truly inclusive democracy.” 

The right to a fair and meaningful say in one’s government is a core part of human dignity long reflected in UU values. Our allies at the Unitarian Universalist Association are working to ensure access to political representation through their UU the Vote initiative. You can learn more and take action here.