Last week in a six to three ruling along ideological lines, the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

That's the landmark civil rights era law designed to prevent racial discrimination in voting.

The law was passed to unravel Jim Crow-era policies that limited or blocked Black Americans'

exodus to the ballot.

The decision in Louisiana v. Calais struck down Louisiana's congressional map as a, quote,

unconstitutional gerrymander.

But the ruling goes a lot further.

It effectively rewrites the rule for how the

Voting Rights Act can be used to challenge discriminatory maps, making it much harder to do so going

forward, the latest in a string of rulings rendering the Voting Rights Act all but moot.

I'm Jen White. And I'm Todd Zwillick.

You're listening to the One-A podcast today on if can keep it, redistricting across the U.S.,

and how this hugely consequential ruling changes in election season already in full swing.

Later on in the hour, we're going to hear from Congressman Cleo Fields, the Democrat who represents Louisiana's sixth congressional district.

That's the majority black district that reaches from the northwest corner down to the center of Louisiana.

With the Supreme Court ruling, Louisiana's governor issued an executive order to suspend the

state's May 16th primary and to redraw the map in a way that could eliminate this majority

black district entirely.

But first, a quick break.

We'll be back in just a moment.

Welcome back to the 1A podcast.

You're listening to our weekly series, if you can keep it.

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