AG James Takes Action to Defend Federal Voting Rights Act

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 22 other attorneys general in urging the United States Supreme Court to uphold states’ authority to draw legislative district maps that protect the political power of minority voters. In an amicus brief filed in Callais v. Louisiana, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that Louisiana should be able to enact a revised congressional map that includes two majority-Black districts after an earlier map was found to have likely violated the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This amicus brief builds on the arguments of an earlier brief co-led by Attorney General James that was filed in December 2024 in the same case with the Supreme Court.

“States must be able to draw fair district lines that protect the rights of minority voters,” said Attorney General James. “The Voting Rights Act ensures that communities can elect the representatives of their choice, and I will continue to fight to ensure it is upheld.”

In 2022, a federal court in the Middle District of Louisiana found that Louisiana’s congressional map likely diluted the votes of Black residents and thus violated Section 2 of the VRA. In response, to comply with the VRA, the Louisiana legislature enacted a new map in 2024 that added a second majority-Black district. A group of self-identified “non-African American voters” then sued the state in the Western District of Louisiana, arguing that the 2024 map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. Despite Supreme Court precedent allowing states to draw a majority-minority district when there is a “good reason” to believe they must do so to comply with the VRA, the three-judge court in the Western District of Louisiana barred the state from using the 2024 VRA-compliant map, trapping Louisiana between competing court orders and undermining the state’s ability to craft fair legislative districts that comply with federal voting rights law.

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the Supreme Court should reverse the Western District of Louisiana’s judgment and allow the state to enact the 2024 map. Section 2 of the VRA prohibits electoral processes that diminish the political power of minorities, and the coalition argues that a ruling restricting states’ abilities to consider race when redrawing district lines would severely undermine the VRA’s power to protect minority voters’ rights. Attorney General James and the coalition also argue that allowing the lower court’s decision to stand would have disastrous consequences for states, potentially subjecting district maps across the country to legal challenges that could further dilute the political power of minority communities.

Joining Attorney General James in filing this amicus brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Attorney General James has been a leader in protecting voting rights in New York and throughout the nation. In March, James and a coalition of 17 other states urged Congress to reject legislation that would limit access to voting among vulnerable communities. In January 2025, James successfully defended New York’s Voting Rights Act. In August 2024, James successfully defended New York’s Early Mail Voter Act. In April 2024, James secured up to $1.25 million from two conspiracy theorists who intimidated Black voters in New York with menacing robocalls.