A new episode of the Insider podcast is now out. Joyce Vance speaks with President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, Janai Nelson, while Preet is out. They break down the Supreme Court’s decision in a major voting rights case, Louisiana v. Callais, which Nelson argued before the Court, and what the ruling means for the future of the Voting Rights Act.
A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCER
Jake Kaplan is the Supervising Producer of the Stay Tuned with Preet and Insider podcasts.
Has the Supreme Court dismantled the Voting Rights Act?
On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Joyce Vance is joined by Janai Nelson to unpack the Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a voting rights case with major implications for future elections.
The case centers on Louisiana’s congressional map, which had been redrawn to remedy racial discrimination after multiple federal courts determined that the state’s original map violated the Voting Rights Act. The new map was later challenged by a group of self-described “non-African American” voters, who argued that considering race in the redistricting process was itself discriminatory.
The Supreme Court ultimately struck down that map, throwing the state’s elections into turmoil, but as Nelson explains, the broader impact of the decision goes much further: “Going forward, as a practical reality, it’s going to be nearly impossible to enforce the [Voting Rights Act].”
She also warns that the Court’s decision will make it easier to justify racial discrimination in politics: “What the Supreme Court has done is now give every bad actor a perfect excuse to discriminate and cover it with a goal of partisanship.”
Listen to the episode and comment below with your thoughts and questions. Thank you for being a member of our community here on Substack. If you’re not yet a paying subscriber, you can now listen to a free excerpt from the show. For access to the full analysis, upgrade your subscription.
Stay Informed,
Jake
