The Supreme Court’s decision to reject Louisiana’s most recently drawn congressional map due to what it called an illegal racial gerrymander could throw a wrench in the 2026 primaries, with several states now weighing whether to redraw districts or delay elections. The high court’s 6-3 ruling on April 29 effectively barred states from using race as a factor in drawing congressional maps, upholding a federal court decision that struck down Louisiana’s 2024 map that contained a second majority-Black district. The state redrew its congressional map then to address concerns that its previous map had diluted its Black population’s voting power in violation of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark piece of legislation that was signed into law in 1965 by former President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Now, several states are attempting to scrap maps they previously drew to give their party a last-minute advantage ahead of voting. Typically redrawn every 10 years, congressional maps have become flashpoints in an escalating legal and political battle in blue and red states following the ruling.
