AAUW Condemns Supreme Court’s Decision in Louisiana v. Callais, Calls for Renewed Commitment to Voting Rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a devastating decision in Louisiana v. Callais, striking down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district and sharply narrowing protections under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Civil rights advocates have warned that the ruling will make it harder to challenge maps that dilute Black voting power and threaten fair representation for communities across the country.

AAUW CEO Gloria L. Blackwell issued the following statement:

This decision is a blow to fair representation and to the democratic values AAUW has worked for across generations. When maps dilute Black voting power, women and families lose ground on the issues that matter most — from strong public education to equal pay to civil rights protections. We will continue to stand for a democracy where every voter is heard, every community is counted, and every woman has the power to help shape our future.

Congress must act. We urge passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act because the promise of equal representation cannot be left to erode, decision by decision, while communities are shut out of the process.

Analysts warn the consequences could extend far beyond Louisiana, threatening fair representation for communities of color in statehouses, school boards, and Congress itself.

AAUW’s It’s My Vote! campaign reflects our longstanding commitment to building the informed, engaged electorate democracy demands. Through nonpartisan voter education and member mobilization, AAUW works to ensure that women — including women of color, who too often face compounding barriers to civic participation — have the tools and information they need to make their voices heard at every level of government. At a moment when voting rights protections are under attack and disinformation continues to distort participation, that work is more urgent than ever.

AAUW joins coalition partners in calling for continued action in the legislatures, in the courts, and at the ballot box to defend fair representation and protect the future of our multiracial democracy.

Today’s ruling makes the path harder, but it does not change what is at stake: who is heard, who is counted, and whose futures are shaped by our democracy.

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AAUW (American Association of University Women) is one of the nation’s leading organizations for equity in higher education and women’s economic empowerment. Founded in 1881 by women who defied society’s conventions by earning college degrees, AAUW has since worked to increase women’s access, opportunity, and equity in higher education through research, advocacy, and philanthropy of over $146 million, supporting thousands of women scholars. Learn more at aauw.org.