HBLSA Statement on Voting Rights Act

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We are disappointed, but not surprised, by the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais and deeply concerned about its implications for Black voters and the future of multiracial democracy.

On April 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in its Louisiana v. Callais (2026) decision and effectively eviscerated the Voting Rights Act’s remaining protections for Black voters.  This ruling allows states to use partisan gerrymandering to dilute Black voting power and eradicate majority-minority opportunity districts that arose as a remedy for race-based voter suppression. This decision follows a line of devastating cases, including City of Mobile v. Bolden (1980), which held that maps with discriminatory effects were constitutional so long as there was not a “discriminatory purpose,” and Shelby County v. Holder (2013), which gutted Sections 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Immediately following this decision, we witnessed southern states like Tennessee and Florida race to redraw their maps. Louisiana canceled its congressional primary elections despite many voters already casting their ballots. This is a disturbing assault on democracy.

We find ourselves in a particularly dangerous moment. Nationwide, we are seeing a concerted effort by bad actors to roll back the voting rights protections that our trailblazing ancestors fought and died for: from rewriting history by deploying legal arguments like “reverse discrimination” and constitutional “colorblindness,” to propagating unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud to justify policies that restrict access to the ballot. These strategies are reminiscent of those used at the turn of the 20th century – the “Nadir” of American racial progress. In cases like Giles v. Harris (1903) and James v. Bowman (1903), the Court refused to enforce the 15th Amendment, emboldening states to bar Black people from voting. Meanwhile, states used claims of voter fraud and vigilante violence to terrorize Black voters. History has shown us that the lack of voting rights protections for Black people across the country promotes race-based voter suppression and disenfranchisement. 

From Charles Hamilton Houston, the Harvard Law School alumnus and NAACP special counsel whose legal strategy earned him the nickname “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow,” to Professor Lani Guinier, the first Black woman to receive tenure at Harvard Law School and former head of the Legal Defense Fund’s Voting Rights Project, to Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, members of the Harvard Law School community have long stood at the forefront of the struggle for voting rights and equal citizenship. The work of Black legal scholars, advocates, and jurists reminds us that voting rights are not self-executing; they require constant vigilance, advocacy, and protection. 

To be clear, the Harvard Black Law Students Association does not take partisan political positions. But supporting the fundamental right to vote is not a partisan act. One need not endorse a political party or ideology to recognize that voting rights are essential to a functioning democracy. This is a fight for two versions of democracy: one that is propped up by suppression and exclusion, and another that ensures that everyone has a meaningful voice in the decisions that directly affect their lives. We choose the latter.

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the Harvard Black Law Students Association. Black Harvard Law students founded HBLSA in 1967 not only to be a support network for Black students, but as a vehicle to challenge structural inequities. Now more than ever, we remain grounded in our purpose and this ruling will not deter us.  We are wholly committed to using our skills, resources, and platform to protect and advance voting rights for all.

We encourage our community to take action and explore the resources below.

In Solidarity,

The Harvard Black Law Students Association

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