NewsMother JonesMay 8, 2026United States
Supreme Court Effectively Kills the Last Part of the Voting Rights Act
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The Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais has effectively ended the last remaining provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Chief Justice John Roberts has been working to weaken the law since the early 1980s, and the Roberts Court has now struck down parts of the act three separate times. Justice Samuel Alito authored the most recent opinion, but Roberts is credited as the driving force behind decades of efforts to dismantle the law.
Read the full story at Mother JonesWhy It Matters
The elimination of the Voting Rights Act removes a key federal protection against racial discrimination in elections, potentially affecting millions of voters' access to fair representation.
Key Facts
- The Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais effectively eliminated the last remaining provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- The Roberts Court has struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act on three separate occasions, with Roberts authoring or joining every opinion.
- Chief Justice John Roberts began working to undermine the Voting Rights Act in the early 1980s as a lawyer in the Reagan administration.