An End to the Rights Revolution?

The Supreme Court heard arguments last week in an election case (Louisiana v. Callais) that will decide how far the federal courts can go in requiring state legislatures to consider race in drawing congressional-district lines. At issue is Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which prohibits voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race or membership in a language-majority group. The federal courts have cited the VRA as a basis for intervening in districting disputes to protect the interests of minority voters.