Democrats slam Supreme Court decision gutting Voting Rights Act
By Dr. Anne T. Sulton, Esq.
JA Senior International Correspondent
On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in a 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the Voting Rights Act. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) issued a press release stating that the court overturned decades of precedent and undercut a core victory of the Civil Rights Movement. Dissenting were justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The DNC contends the Supreme Court opened the door to diluting Black, Latino, AANHPI, and Native American representation across the country, especially in the South, where Republicans have made clear they want to split the voting power of minority communities. According to the DNC, Wednesday’s decision gives Republican legislatures and governors the power to undermine the power of Black, Latino, AANHPI, and Native American voters in their states.
DNC Chair Ken Martin stated: “Today is a dark day for America – the Supreme Court just rolled back the clock on the Civil Rights Movement. The GOP-captured Supreme Court just effectively killed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a major step back in the fight for racial justice and fair representation. While the decision is a gut punch, make no mistake: Democrats will fight tooth and nail to ensure the voices of all Americans will be heard in November and in every election that follows.”
Mississippi Senate Minority Leader Senator Derrick T. Simmons confers. He issued a statement saying that “The decision is a profound shift in how our nation interprets and protects the voting rights of minority communities. By striking down Louisiana’s congressional map and limiting the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the Court has narrowed long-standing safeguards that were designed to ensure fair representation for all Americans. For decades, the Voting Rights Act has stood as one of the most important civil rights laws in our nation’s history – ensuring that communities of color have a meaningful opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The ruling raises serious concerns about whether those protections will continue to be fully realized, particularly in states across the South where representation has long been contested.”
Attorney Patrice A. Sulton, Executive Director of the Center on Race, Inequality and the Law at New York University Law School, said: “Since 2025, we have witnessed concerted effort after concerted effort to turn civil rights legislation on its head; a strategy far more dangerous than repealing protections outright. In addition to today’s opinion, there are recent executive orders, state legislation, and DOJ filings that deny race is a social construct, refuse to recognize the history of racial subordination, and suggest that the mere acknowledgement of disadvantage based on color is itself a civil rights violation.”
Former President Barack Obama said: “Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act … The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers – not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.”
