Attorney General Anne Lopez has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm that states should have the initial opportunity to redraw legislative maps in response to potential violations of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This appeal was made through an amicus brief filed in the case of Louisiana v. Callais, where a coalition of 20 attorneys general supports Louisiana and a group of voters aiming to maintain a congressional map featuring two majority-Black districts.
In 2022, a federal court found that Louisiana's congressional map likely diluted Black residents' votes, violating Section 2 of the VRA. To comply with this finding, Louisiana's legislature enacted a new map in 2024 adding a second majority-Black district. However, another group of "non-African American voters" contested this map in court, claiming it was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Despite precedent allowing redistricting under such circumstances, the Western District barred the use of the new map, leading to conflicting court orders for Louisiana.
Hawaiʻi Deputy Solicitor General Thomas Hughes stated, "The Voting Rights Act gives every state the responsibility to draw fair and representative congressional districts." He emphasized that Louisiana adhered to legal standards by creating a second majority-Black district and called for rejection of challenges against it.
The brief argues that state legislatures have significant leeway in redistricting when addressing likely VRA violations. It asserts that federal court findings justified Louisiana's actions under the VRA without breaching constitutional limits. The brief also opposes arguments from Alabama and other states seeking to discard established voting rights precedents related to Section 2 of the VRA.
Attorney General Lopez's filing is supported by attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.