US Supreme Court limits use of race in drawing electoral maps

The decision will make it more difficult to successfully challenge legislative maps for diluting the voting power of racial minorities. Supreme Court limits use of race in drawing electoral maps Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. People protest outside the US Supreme Court over the Voting Rights Act case The US Supreme Court limited the ability of lawmakers to take the racial make-up of a state into account when drawing voting maps, in a ruling that could reshape politics across the American south. In a 6-3 decision, the conservative justices sided with a challenge to new districts in Louisiana that were created to comply with a landmark Civil Rights law meant to protect black Americans from racial discrimination. The way courts have previously interpreted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court's majority opinion, has sometimes forced states "to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids". The group of mainly white voters challenging the law had argued that relying on race to create districts ran afoul of the US Constitution and suggested that the provision of the Voting Rights Act should be found unconstitutional in its entirety. The court majority did not take that position, but its decision will make it significantly more difficult to successfully challenge legislative maps for diluting the voting power of racial minorities. To prove a violation, Alito wrote, litigants will have to prove that legislators intentionally drew the maps to provide less opportunity to racial minority voters. "The court's decision will set back the foundational right Congress granted of racial equality in electoral opportunity," Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissenting opinion. The fight over voting maps has grown fierce in the last year, as Democrats and Republicans seek to carve out districts that could help them win congressional majorities. Florida is currently in the process of redrawing its legislative maps in an effort to net Republicans more seats in the House of Representatives. This decision could allow the state to further disadvantage incumbent Democrats who represented districts with large minority populations. Other Republican states, such as Tennessee and Mississippi, could also redraw their maps in the weeks ahead. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the Police said the incident happened when two groups began shooting at each other after an argument in the food court. Authorities say a father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in what appears to be a "domestic dispute". Annie Ramos, an undocumented immigrant who came to the US as a toddler, had gone to the base to complete paperwork so the couple could move in together. The price of crude oil has swung sharply as uncertainty over the war in the Middle East continues. How King Charles III navigated a diplomatic tightrope in his speech to the US Congress. As applause fades and banquet plates are cleared, it's up to politicians to build on Charles's historic trip. The King and the US president exchanged several jokes during their speeches at a state banquet. There were some lines in the speech that may have buoyed Democrats – and raised eyebrows in the White House.