Six decades ago, in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson courageously promoted the passage of the Voting Rights Act, to right the wrong of racial discrimination which denied African Americans, primarily in the South, the enforcement of the 15th Amendment of 1870, the right to vote, under Jim Crow racism for nearly a century.
Now, the disgraceful modern Supreme Court, with three Trump appointees, two appointees of George W. Bush, and the despicable Clarence Thomas appointed by George H W Bush, have destroyed the concept that African Americans and other racial minorities (Latinos, native Americans, Asian Americans), should have adequate representation, and instead are re-establishing white supremacy all over again.
In the Louisiana redistricting case (Louisiana V. Callais), the Louisiana legislature denied African Americans a second “black” seat out of six, despite the fact that about one third of the state has black population. The Supreme Court decided 6-3 that what Louisiana had done was not discriminatory, even though it is clear that it is, without any realistic doubt.
That, plus the outrageous reapportionment gerrymandering in Florida promoted by outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis, against the state referendum on the subject of gerrymandering passed overwhelmingly in 2010, being perpetrated on the same day as the Supreme Court decision, is disheartening.
It is highly likely that many African American members and other minority districts, primarily, but not only in the South, will have no or greatly reduced representation in the halls of the House of Representatives in the upcoming 120th Congress (2027-2029) and beyond.
Chief Justice John Roberts has revealed his true nature on this subject, having initiated it in 2013 in Shelby County Alabama V. Holder, the first cutting back on the Voting Rights Act, and now with three Trump appointees on the Court, that law is being, effectively, eviscerated.
The historical legacy of John Roberts is damaged for the long run of history, as he will go down as a destroyer of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Proposed maps show “blue” areas in the South, where black representation was present in the House of Representatives, would be mostly decimated–completely in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina, and be dramatically cut back in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
This is an outrage against the concept of democracy and the rule of law, a tragedy of massive proportions.
It is also a slight against the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr, John Lewis, and other civil rights heroes, who spent their lives promoting fair treatment, and suffered much brutality in the process!