Louisiana v. Callais
The Court Limits the Consideration of Race in Redistricting
Louisiana v. Callais was featured in Voting Rights Supreme Court Debates (November 2025). The following is excerpted from the 6-3 majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, as prepared by the Court Reporter of Decisions. Because the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, no compelling interest justified the state’s use of race and that map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The Constitution almost never permits a state to discriminate on the basis of race, and such discrimination triggers strict scrutiny. The court’s precedents have identified “only two compelling interests” that can satisfy strict…
