The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act that could strip away key protections against racial discrimination in redistricting.

The case centers on Section 2 of the landmark civil rights law, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting practices, including how election maps are drawn. The justices spent nearly three hours debating how much — if at all — race can factor into remedies when a Section 2 violation is found.

The dispute stems from Louisiana’s congressional district map drawn after the 2020 census. In 2022, the state created just one majority-Black district, even though about one-third of Louisiana’s population is Black. Black voters sued, arguing the state should have two majority-Black districts out of six.

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