The name on this case says Louisiana, but make no mistake: this case belongs to the whole country. This case is not just about the two majority Black congressional districts that Black voters in Louisiana fought for, went to court for, and won. At stake is the legal foundation that protects Black political representation in every state. The Voting Rights Act is not just a law. It is the result of blood, sacrifice, and generations of Black Americans who refused to be shut out of democracy. This ruling has the power to gut what remains of that foundation, and with it, one of the most hard won tools of Black political power in this country's history.
This is as serious as it gets. But serious is not the same as helpless.
A court ruling, no matter how bad, cannot undo who we are, whose we are, or what we carry. We are the descendants of people who were never supposed to survive, let alone thrive, never supposed to vote, never supposed to matter, let alone walk in the halls of power. Yet here we are. That inheritance does not expire with a court decision. We got us. Then, now, and forever. Black communities have always found a way through because we have always shown up for each other. This moment is no different.
Is it fair that we have to fight this hard just to hold what we already won? No. But we got us. We always do.
No matter what the Court decides, this doesn't change…
THE BACK OF THIS PAGE BREAKS DOWN POSSIBLE OUTCOMES AND DETAILS WHAT WE Can DO IN EACH SCENARIO.
The strategies outlined were developed using primary sources, peer reviewed studies, academic journals, legal case documents and court filings, Brennan Center research, LDF/ACLU analysis, and Black Voters Matter's own organizing data and field experience. The strategies are also grounded in the historical record, the lived experience, and the organizing history of Black communities in Louisiana and across the country.