Supreme Court rules 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais that Section 2 requires proof of intentional discrimination, restoring the Mobile v. Bolden standard Congress overturned in 1982

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires plaintiffs to prove intentional racial discrimination, not merely discriminatory results. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, which was joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. The decision substantially reworked the Thornburg v. Gingles framework that had governed Section 2 redistricting claims since 1986 and restored a standard Congress had explicitly rejected in the 1982 VRA amendments following Mobile v. Bolden.