Redistricting decision hamstrings potential congressional response

The Supreme Court’s decision limiting the Voting Rights Act appears to hamper Congress from passing legislation to restore the law’s protections for minority voters when states draw new congressional districts, legal experts say. In the hours after Wednesday’s 6-3 decision invalidating Louisiana’s congressional map, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was among Democrats who called for Congress to pass a new version of the law to counter the perceived harms of the majority opinion in Louisiana v. Callais. At an event with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Jeffries said the bill would be “one of our first acts” if Democrats win control in the November midterm elections, “so we can end the era of voter suppression in America once and for all.” But in the majority opinion, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. included several passages that seem to limit Congress’ powers under the 15th Amendment to enact “appropriate legislation” to protect voting rights. In one section, Alito wrote that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires evidence showing that states intentionally drew districts to harm the opportunity of minority voters because of their race. That interpretation is consistent with the “limited authority” the 15th Amendment confers to Congress,