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The Supreme Court is striking down Republican-drawn congressional districts in Alabama that critics say discriminated against Black voters.
The nation's highest court voted 5-4 against Alabama, which means the seven congressional districts will now be redrawn.
The decision makes it harder to shut down concerns raised by civil rights advocates that votes from the Black community are being diluted by dividing voters into new districts where white voters dominate.
The case comes from litigation over the new congressional district map that was drawn by a Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature after the census in 2020.
The ruling could also impact Louisiana's congressional map.
"As I said when I vetoed it, Louisiana's current congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act," Gov. John Bel Edwards said after the Supreme Court's decision. "Louisiana's voting population is one-third Black. We know that in compliance with the principals of the Voting Rights Act, Louisiana can and should have a congressional map where two of our six districts are majority Black. Today's decision reaffirms that."
Congressman Troy Carter (D-La.) called the ruling a win for Alabamians and Louisianans.
"We must begin to overcome our tarnished past and move toward fair maps that follow the math and give Black Louisianans their rightful representation in our democratic system. I will continue to fight for equitable representation in voting for our state and around the country," Carter said.
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