The Supreme Court Is Being Tested on History Once Again

"In the two decades John Roberts has served as chief justice, the Supreme Court he presides over has repeatedly decimated the Voting Rights Act, striking a series of savage blows to the law long hailed as the crown jewel of the Civil Rights Movement. This term, in Louisiana v. Callais, the Voting Rights Act is in the crosshairs once again, as the court's conservative supermajority might strike down the act's last standing pillar."

"The attack on the Voting Rights Act in Callais is deeply inconsistent with the Constitution's text and history. To understand why requires engaging with the Black struggle for voting rights that culminated with the passage and ratification of the 15 th Amendment in 1870. As this history shows, race-consciousness is baked into the text and history of the 15 th Amendment."

John Roberts has served as chief justice for two decades and the Supreme Court has repeatedly weakened the Voting Rights Act through major rulings. Louisiana v. Callais was initially a narrow dispute about a racial gerrymander in a 2022 congressional map but has been expanded to ask whether creating a Black-majority district to comply with the VRA violates the 14th or 15th Amendment. The court’s inquiry raises fears that Section 2 could be gutted by a colorblind constitutional reading. The 15th Amendment’s text and history reflect race-conscious efforts by Black Americans to secure voting rights.

Read at Slate Magazine