Happening Now: Congressional Black Caucus Responds To SCOTUS Arguments On Voting Rights Case

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Chair Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), will hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon responding to oral arguments before the Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais, a closely watched case challenging the Voting Rights Act.

The battle over Louisiana’s congressional map has brought the court to the verge of curtailing a central provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that has forced states to draw majority-minority districts.

Justices will consider whether the practice complies with the 14th and 15th amendments, which were ratified after the Civil War to provide equal protection under the law and prohibit intentional racial discrimination in voting.

“Our Constitution does not tolerate this abhorrent and incoherent system, and Louisiana wants no part of it,” Louisiana wrote in court filings.

The Republican-led state begrudgingly added a second majority-Black congressional district to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, after a lower court struck down a design with only one.

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the map for a second time, now with higher stakes that could include reexamining decades-old precedents on the landmark law.

Watch the live stream of the CBC press conference set to begin at 1:30 p.m.