A pending decision could gut the Voting Rights Act andencourage states to disenfranchise minority voters.

Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais—a case that could spell the end of Section2 of the Voting Rights Act, the bedrock federal law that bars racial discrimination in voting.

As voting rights expert Joshua Douglas explains, the Courtis unlikely to strike down Section 2 outright. That’s a headline this Court doesn’t want. But the Court could still gut Section 2—by allowing the disenfranchisement of minority voters as partisan gerrymandering, not racial discrimination. 

Host: Garrett Epps

Guest: Prof. Joshua A. Douglas, University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law

Photo credit: Library of Congress

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Democracy and Voting Rights

02:29 The Louisiana vs. Calais Case Explained

06:38 Understanding Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act

08:57 Opportunity Districts and Candidate Choice

11:07 Oral Arguments and Court Dynamics

14:57 Partisan Gerrymandering and Its Implications

21:23 The Interplay of Race and Partisanship

25:31 Chief Justice Roberts and the Voting Rights Act

28:15 Reflections on Progress and Future Challenges