JUSTICE
The Supreme Court supports voting rights — with massive implications for congressional redistricting
In Milligan, SCOTUS rejects gerrymandered maps that gave white voters more power than voters of color. We break down seven big implications of the decision.
Authored by Christian R. Grose and Lucien LaScala
On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot redraw their district lines to dilute the voting strength of voters of color. In Allen v. Milligan, the Supreme Court effectively said that gerrymandering with the purpose of giving a boost to white voters is illegal. This prohibition against minority vote dilution has been the law of the land since the 1980s, and the Court affirmed this status quo. With its Milligan decision, the Court upholds a clear, empirical test for determining if voting power of voters of color is diluted via legislative redistricting.
The Supreme Court decision means the law hasn’t changed, but some congressional and state legislative redistricting maps used in the 2022 elections will likely have to change.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Allen v. Milligan decision is one of the most impactful decisions on voting rights from…
