For immediate release: April 29, 2026 – Press Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s congressional voting map ruling that state lawmakers unconstitutionally used race to draw a second majority-Black district. The decision guts a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and could open the door for partisan-led legislatures to eliminate majority-minority congressional districts across the country. Below is a statement from Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation, about this ruling.
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is reprehensible and a profound setback for our country. This decision eviscerates the Voting Rights Act – the ‘crown jewel’ of the Civil Rights Movement – rendering it ‘all but a dead letter,’ as Justice Kagan said in the dissent. Today the Court gave states the ability to use partisan gerrymandering as a justification for excluding the voices of Latino and minority voices, which can lead to the greatest reduction in minority voter power since the Reconstruction era.
This ruling turns a blind eye towards racism and allows partisan efforts to perpetuate inequities that exist to this day. People fought, bled, and died for these protections, and the Supreme Court has eliminated those sacrifices with the wave of a hand. The consequences of today’s decision will be felt in every voting precinct across the country.
To ignore race in the drawing of voting maps is a choice to preserve discrimination and further enable systemic discrimination at every level of government. Stripping these protections does not move us toward a fair or equal society; it moves us further from equity. Politicians should not choose their voters – voters should choose their politicians.
At Hispanic Federation, we are clear-eyed about what this ruling means: going forward, the work of ensuring our communities have proper representation in their government will be riddled with obstacles. But our fight for fair representation continues – in our legislatures, in the courts, and at the ballot box. Democracy will not fall on our watch.
Hispanic Federation calls on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and for states to enact State Voting Rights Acts that work to preserve the legacy and intent of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
