SCOTUS rules in Shaw v. Reno that bizarrely shaped racial districts trigger strict scrutiny

The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Shaw v. Reno that North Carolina voters can challenge a congressional district whose shape is so bizarre it can only be explained on racial grounds. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor writes for the majority that drawing districts predominantly by race, even to benefit minority voters, violates the Equal Protection Clause. The ruling subjects majority-minority districts to strict judicial scrutiny and sets off a decade of litigation over race-conscious redistricting across the South.