WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district in a decision that could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress.

The court’s conservative majority in "Louisiana v. Callais" found that the 6th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas.

The decision weakens a landmark voting rights law’s protections against discrimination in redistricting. It’s unclear how much is left of the provision, known as Section 2, the main way to challenge racially discriminatory election practices.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, succeeded in opening the ballot box to Black Americans and reducing persistent discrimination in voting.

Nearly 70 of the 435 congressional districts are protected by Section 2, election law expert Nicholas Stephanopoulos has estimated.

Alito wrote that "allowing race to play any part in government decisionmaking represents a departure from the constitutional rule that applies in almost every other context.” He said Section 2 is effectively limited to instances of intentional discrimination, a very high standard.

The court heard the case for a second time in October and it’s not clear whether the decision was issued early enough for some states, including Louisiana, to consider a new round of redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, in which Republicans are trying to preserve a thin majority.

President Donald Trump had already touched off a nationwide redistricting battle to boost Republican chances.

"This is a complete and total victory for American voters. The color of one’s skin should not dictate which congressional district you belong in. We commend the court for putting an end to the unconstitutional abuse of the Voting Rights Act and protecting civil rights," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

Speaker Mike Johnson called it “the right result.”

“The Supreme Court opinion came out. I've obviously not had the time to read through that. I used to litigate these kinds of cases, so I'm looking forward to it. But I just talked to some folks who have gone through it, and they said that this is obviously the right result,” Johnson said. “They determined that the last map that was drawn for Louisiana was done unconstitutionally, and we've been saying that consistently from the beginning, that was the obvious result. So, we'll see what effect it has. We have, as you know, a primary coming up in about two weeks, so we'll see if the state legislature deems it appropriate to go in and draw new maps.”

Legislatures already are free to draw extremely partisan districts because of a 2019 Supreme Court decision.

The court did an about-face from a decision in a similar case from Alabama less than three years ago that led to a new congressional map for the state that sent two Black Democrats to Congress.

The Alabama decision also prompted Louisiana lawmakers to add a second majority Black district. About a third of Louisianans are Black and they now form majorities in two of the state’s six congressional districts. Alabama has a separate appeal pending at the Supreme Court.

Rep. Troy Carter said the decision is a "devastating blow to the promise of equal representation in our democracy."

"This ruling is about far more than lines on a map — it’s about whether Black Louisianians will have a meaningful opportunity to make their voices heard," Carter said. "The consequences of this decision are immediate and severe: the hard-fought progress that led to the creation of two majority-Black congressional districts in Louisiana is now in jeopardy."

He said that this decision is "not about so-called ‘colorblind’ principles." 

"History has shown us time and again that policies claiming neutrality, from literacy tests to poll taxes, have been used to silence Black voices. Louisiana knows this history all too well. Without the protections of the Voting Rights Act, there is no evidence to suggest that Black voters in our state will be able to elect candidates of their choice," Carter wrote in a statement.

Carter said that he and his Democratic allies will work to "restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act and defend the fundamental right to vote."

“We must not allow the erosion of this promise — not now, not in Louisiana, not anywhere, and not on our watch," the congressman representing Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District said.

The 2nd Congressional District, including much of the New Orleans metro area, is the other Black-majority district in Louisiana.

As for how this decision affects upcoming elections, including the one on May 16, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said that her lawyers are "currently analyzing the opinion."

"We are limited in what we can say at this time as this continues to be active litigation, with the case remanded for proceedings back to the Western District," said Landry, who in January said that the state would use the congressional maps in question until the SCOTUS decision.