As President of the Human Rights Alliance of Santa Fe, I join countless voices across this nation in expressing deep concern over today’s Supreme Court ruling that further weakens one of the most sacred protections of American democracy: the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In a 6 to 3 decision, the Court narrowed the use of Section 2 in redistricting cases and struck down Louisiana’s second majority-Black
congressional district. Let us be clear about what this means. Yet again, communities that have fought for generations to secure equal access to the ballot are being told to fight harder, wait longer, and accept less.
This case arose because Black residents in Louisiana make up roughly one third of the population, yet lawmakers originally drew only one majority-Black congressional district out of six. Lower courts found that likely violated the law and required a fairer map. Now the Supreme Court has reversed course,
deciding that race was considered too much in correcting a map where race had clearly been ignored. That kind of logic would be amusing if it were not so dangerous. It asks communities harmed by discrimination to prove injustice, then punishes any meaningful remedy.
The practical impact will reach far beyond Louisiana. Since the Court gutted key parts of voting rights enforcement in Shelby County v. Holder, Section 2 has been one of the last major federal tools available to challenge racial vote dilution. Now even that tool has
been blunted. Similar districts across the South and Midwest may face renewed attacks, and representation for Black communities and other historically marginalized voters may shrink further. That is not an accident. It is the predictable result of a judiciary increasingly comfortable narrowing democracy while speaking the language of neutrality.
Here in New Mexico, we should pay close attention. We are a richly diverse state where Indigenous, Hispanic, Black, immigrant, LGBTQIA2S, disabled,
rural, working class, and countless other communities together shape our civic life. Fair maps and equal ballot access are not abstract legal theories here. They determine whether families are heard, whether resources are distributed justly, and whether government reflects the people it serves. When one community’s voting power is diminished anywhere, the warning bell rings everywhere.
So what must be done? Congress must restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act. States must pursue independent redistricting
reforms and transparent map drawing processes. Civil rights organizations must be supported in their litigation, education, and voter engagement work. And ordinary people must keep voting, organizing, and refusing to surrender to cynicism.
This was not simply a Louisiana case. It was another chapter in the old American battle over who counts, who belongs, and whose voice matters. The Human Rights Alliance stands firmly on the side of a democracy where every person counts equally, every ballot carries weight, and no court can erase the dignity of the people.
M. A. D’Arrigo
HRA President