05/01/2026
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, decided 6-3, effectively dismantled a key protection of the Voting Rights Act that guaranteed communities of color the right to fair congressional districts.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment* to the U.S. Constitution. The Voting Rights Act was considered one of the most impactful pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.
*The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1870, prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It was part of the Reconstruction Amendments aimed at securing voting rights for African American men after the Civil War.
Yesterday was a dark day for our democracy. In Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act and opened the door for Republicans to dilute representation for voters of color across the country, especially in the South.
But the fight is not over. It cannot be over. Our fight—America’s fight—will not be over until every citizen’s voice is heard and every vote is counted equally.
In moments like these, the words of John Lewis inspire action in all of us: “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”
For John Lewis, for every American whose vote is under attack, for our children and the democracy they will inherit—our fight continues.
