Jim Crow laws are the blanket name given to the the state and local laws that pervaded the American South from the 19th century all the way to the 1960s, which were meant to enforce racial segregation.  They limited the public services and facilities available to Black Americans. They included poll taxes, literacy tests, and other measures designed to limit the ability of Black Americans to exercise their right to vote. Jim Crow laws went the way of the dodo back in 1965, with the passage of the Voting Rights Act.  

Now, over eighty years later, the Supreme Court has passed down the Callais vs Louisiana ruling. The case deals with the courts interpretation of this law, and some are declaring this decision nothing less than the resurrection of Jim Crow.  

But is that the case? To find out, I sat down with Zack Smith, Senior Legal Fellow here at the Heritage Foundation. 

Email us with thoughts, questions, or suggestions: HeritageExplains@heritage.org 

Zack Smith on X: https://x.com/tzsmith