Supreme Court rules 6-3 in Mobile v. Bolden that Section 2 requires proof of intentional discrimination, gutting minority vote-dilution claims

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in City of Mobile v. Bolden that at-large election systems violated the Constitution only if plaintiffs could prove intentional racial discrimination. The ruling required proof of discriminatory purpose, not merely discriminatory results, making it nearly impossible to challenge election structures that diluted Black voting power without direct evidence of discriminatory intent. Black plaintiffs in Mobile, Alabama had argued the city's at-large commission system effectively prevented any Black candidate from winning, but the Court rejected a results-based theory of Section 2.