US Supreme Court curbs race-based voting maps in landmark ruling

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday sharply limited the use of race in drawing electoral districts, in a decision that could reshape congressional maps nationwide and boost Republican prospects ahead of midterm elections.

In a 6-3 ruling split along ideological lines, the conservative-dominated court struck down a map that creates a second majority-black district in Louisiana, finding it amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander despite being drawn to comply with the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA).

The decision leaves the core of the VRA intact but narrows how it can be applied, and will be seen by civil rights activists as a blow to a landmark law that has already been weakened by previous rulings over the past decade.

Democracy Docket, a voting rights platform, said the ruling could help secure 27 extra Republican seats, cementing the party’s control in the US House of Representatives “for at least a generation”.

“Without racial protections, maps could be redrawn with almost no limits,” the outlet reported.

It was not immediately clear how much the ruling will affect November’s elections, with primaries already under way and legal challenges likely to delay any changes.