Silver State Times

Today, Attorney General Aaron Ford announced his participation in a coalition of 20 attorneys general urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm that states should have the first opportunity to redraw legislative maps in response to potential violations of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This move comes as part of an amicus brief filed in Louisiana v. Callais.

The coalition, led by Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb and New York Attorney General Letitia James, supports Louisiana and a group of voters seeking to uphold a congressional map with two majority-Black districts. "The latest decision in this case, if allowed to stand, would undermine years of settled precedent and directly sabotage the rights of minority voters by weakening the protections of the Voting Rights Act," said AG Ford. "It is imperative that the Supreme Court rules for the State of Louisiana in this case and allows these long-standing protections to remain secure."

In 2022, a federal court found Louisiana's congressional map likely diluted Black residents' votes, violating Section 2 of the VRA. In compliance with VRA requirements, Louisiana's legislature enacted a new map in 2024 adding a second majority-Black district. However, another group argued this new map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander under the Equal Protection Clause.

Despite existing Supreme Court precedent allowing states to redistrict when there is "good reason" under VRA compliance concerns, a court barred Louisiana from using its new map. The Supreme Court has agreed to decide on this constitutional ruling.

The state attorneys general argue that elected state legislatures should have primary responsibility for redistricting under constitutional provisions offering them "breathing room" to address VRA violations through legislative maps.

Additionally, they urge rejection of arguments from Alabama and other states challenging established interpretations of Section 2 of the VRA. Addressing these arguments could undermine decades-long reliance on settled voting rights precedents.

AG Ford joins attorneys general from several states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland among others in filing this brief.