The Supreme Court’s decision yesterday in Louisiana v. Callais et al has inevitably drawn strong criticism. In ruling that electoral districts cannot be redefined along racial lines, the Court stands accused of “gutting” the Voting Rights Act, crippling civil-rights law and effectively disenfranchising minority voters. 

What the Supreme Court has “gutted” is not the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – but a nakedly racial form of gerrymandering

What the Supreme Court has “gutted” is not the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – but a nakedly racial form of gerrymandering

But the Court’s decision was correct on the merits. It also represents a great retrenchment that’s taking place in American politics. 

The rules by which our political system operates have been overdue a revision – not the rules codified in the Constitution but the thicker web of precedents and practices that have served as a second constitution since the 1960s, or in some cases since the 1930s. 

Yesterday’s decision will have the near-term practical effect of helping Republicans fortify their position going into November’s midterm elections, improving their chances of holding onto their majority in the House of Representative. 

But the long-term effect of the ruling also promises to strengthen the GOP, as the racial regime on which the Democratic Party has long depended collapses.

What the Court’s Republican-appointed majority has actually “gutted” is not the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – but a nakedly racial form of gerrymandering. 

Louisiana had been ordered by lower courts to redraw its congressional districts to ensure that not one, but two districts........

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