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        No. 24-109 · October Term 2025

        Louisiana v. Callais

        Decided April 29, 2026, 6–3 · From the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

        Question

        Does Louisiana’s creation of a second majority-Black congressional district constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, even when drawn in response to a federal court finding that the state’s prior single majority-Black district likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act?

        Facts of the case

        This case involves a challenge to Louisiana’s congressional redistricting map, specifically focusing on District 6, alleging that the map is an impermissible racial gerrymander. The map was created in response to a previous lawsuit, Robinson v. Ardoin, where plaintiffs argued that the prior map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting minority votes. To address these issues, the Louisiana Legislature adopted a new map (Senate Bill 8) that included a second majority-Black district. However, the plaintiffs in this case claimed that this new map violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by prioritizing race in its creation. A three-judge panel concluded that District 6 of the new map did indeed violate the Equal Protection Clause, leading the court to issue an injunction against using this map in future elections.

        From Oyez.

        The Court's vote 6–3

        Majority: Samuel A. Alito, John G. Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett

        Dissent: Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson