Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on when to consider race when drawing congressional districts

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday in a case originating in Louisiana, Louisiana v. Callais, centered around when and how legislatures should consider race when drawing congressional districts.

Here is a brief background on the case:

In 2022, the Louisiana state Legislature adopted a map that featured a single Black-majority district out of six allotted to the state. A group of Black voters challenged the map in federal court, arguing that it diluted their votes.

Black voters in Louisiana make up about one-third of the state’s population, and the voters who sued said the state violated the federal Voting Rights Act that prohibits using race as a factor when establishing voting practices.

A federal district court ultimately ruled that the Legislature’s congre