WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today in Louisiana v. Callais eviscerates a key enforcement provision of the Voting Right Act that prohibits discriminatory voting practices and protects voters of color, especially Black voters. The ruling will permit state lawmakers to create voting district maps and pass laws that unfairly dilute the voting power of certain racial and ethnic groups, impacting the 2026 general election and beyond.

Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, issued the following statement in response:

“The Voting Rights Act provides a sacred guarantee that all Americans will have equal access to the ballot box. Since the passage of this landmark legislation, we have seen a surge in Black women’s political power in particular, which has shaped some of our country’s largest victories for gender equality. The decision by Trump’s handpicked Supreme Court majority is a blatant effort to control our election results by diminishing the political power of all Black people.

“All of our hard-fought rights—from bodily autonomy to the ability to open a credit card to protections in the workplace—depend fundamentally on our constitutional right to vote. The Court’s decision to eviscerate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act puts these rights and protections in jeopardy, especially at a moment when so many of our civil liberties are already under attack. As an organization dedicated to fighting for the rights of all women and girls, we will continue working to expand the right to vote and restore the promise and strength of our multi-racial democracy.”