Washington, D.C.—Heritage Action today praised the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, a landmark ruling that restores constitutional limits on race-based electoral maps and reaffirms the foundational principle of equal protection under the law.
The basis of Callais was whether states can be compelled under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to draw congressional districts predominantly on the basis of race, even when doing so conflicts with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The Court rejected that approach and clarified that race cannot be the primary factor in drawing congressional districts absent evidence of intentional, current discrimination.
In the majority opinion, written by Associate Justice Samuel Alito, the Court held, “The Voting Rights Act of 1965, was designed to enforce the Constitution—not collide with it. Unfortunately, lower courts have sometimes applied this Court’s precedents in a way that forces States to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids.”
Dr. Kevin Roberts, President of Heritage Action released the following statement:
“The Civil War Amendments were forged at tremendous human cost to secure a constitutional order grounded in equality before the law—not racial classifications. Today’s decision restores that understanding and reaffirms that the Constitution does not permit sorting Americans by race in the exercise of political power.”
James Quarles, Director of Advocacy and Engagement at Heritage Action added:
“This ruling ends a legal catch-22 that forced states to choose between complying with the Constitution or defending themselves from lawsuits under conflicting interpretations of the Voting Rights Act. States now have long-overdue clarity to draw maps that reflect real communities—not arbitrary racial targets.”
Heritage Action will continue working with state leaders and grassroots activists to support redistricting efforts ahead of the 2026 congressional midterm elections that comply with the U.S. Constitution and reflect fair representation for all Americans.
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