Supreme Court’s Decision in Louisiana vs. Callais Could Reshape Voting Rights

The Supreme Court has scheduled decision days for Tuesday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 25. Among the cases awaiting a ruling this term is Louisiana vs. Callais. The case challenges Section 2 of the “Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965,” which prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race or color. Section 2 has historically played a critical role in protecting minority communities from voter suppression, including practices that dilute the voting strength of Black and Latino communities even in the absence of explicit discriminatory intent. Over the decades, Section 2 has been instrumental in challenging gerrymandered districts, discriminatory voting rules, and other barriers to fair representation. It provides a legal framework to ensure that marginalized voters have a meaningful voice in the political process. 

Affordable homes are built with ballots and our efforts matter. To support our partners in opposing any action to suppress voting rights, we encourage you to:  

• Engage with your community: continue to mobilize and organize with allies on the ground. In order to realize our vision of a multi-racial democracy, we must put constant pressure on our elected officials to create a fair and representative electoral system.
• Ensure you are registered, check that you have the required materials to vote by mail or in person, and create a voting plan with your friends and family to show up at the polls. Check your voter registration here.
• NLIHC’s Our Homes, Our Votes campaign recently launched a monthly webinar series to equip advocates with proven, effective resources such as election protection and voter registration activities while confronting emerging challenges such as the rise of misinformation and escalating present day threats to voter engagement. Join us for our next webinar on Monday, March 9 on “Building Voting Power Locally: How Local Elections Set the Stage for 2026.” 

Register for the webinar series here. 

Learn more about the case here.