A third of the Congressional Black Caucus could disappear if Republican-led states aggressively redraw majority-Black congressional districts following the Supreme Court’s recent voting rights ruling, according to a scathing report from Mother Jones.

The concern stems from the Court’s 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which struck down Louisiana’s newly drawn majority-Black congressional district and narrowed how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act can be used to challenge racially discriminatory maps. Voting rights advocates fear the decision could open the door for states across the South to dismantle districts that helped expand Black political representation in Congress.

Founded in 1971 by 13 Black members of Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus was created to amplify Black political representation and advocate for policies centered on racial equity, voting rights and economic justice. Over the last five decades, the caucus has grown into one of the most influential voting blocs in Congress, with more than 60 members—now all Democrats—across the House and Senate.

Results of ruling quickly unfold in Louisian

The fallout is already clearly playing out in Louisiana.
A state redistricting hearing last week erupted in chaos after GOP lawmakers introduced proposals that could erase one or both of Louisiana’s majority-Black congressional districts. Protesters and civil rights advocates packed the hearing as lawmakers debated maps that could give Republicans control of five, or potentially all six, of the state’s U.S. House seats, according to Reuters.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry also suspended the state’s congressional primaries following the Supreme Court’s decision, allowing lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map mid-cycle. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court denied Black voters’ request to reconsider its order clearing the way for Louisiana to move forward with redistricting.

In a recent interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Landry defended the redistricting push and argued that Louisiana should be “unshackled” from decades of voting rights litigation. He also said he did not believe the state needed to draw districts that guarantee minority representation.

Advocates brace for national impact

Blavity previously reported that advocates fear the ruling could reshape Black political representation nationwide.

Voting rights groups and lawmakers like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) argue the moves could become a blueprint for other Republican-led legislatures seeking to dismantle majority-Black districts across the South, including states like South Carolina.

“A South Carolina without a single Black representative would be a return to Jim Crow,” Rep. Ro Khanna wrote this week, arguing that the Court’s decision could reverse decades of progress made during the Civil Rights movement.