Supreme Court Rules on Louisiana Redistricting Map; Considers Immigration Policy

The Supreme Court issued rulings and heard arguments on several cases Wednesday, including one concerning Louisiana's congressional map and another regarding Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian nationals.

In *Louisiana v. Callais*, the court, in a 6-3 decision, found Louisiana's map unconstitutional. The map created a second majority-Black district. The court held that the map constituted an unconstitutional gerrymander. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, stating, "[B]ecause the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, no compelling interest justified the State’s use of race in creating SB8. That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander, and its use would violate the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights."

Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. Kagan wrote, "Only [Congress has] the right to say it is no longer needed—not the Members of this Court. I dissent, then, from this latest chapter in the majority’s now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act."

Following the ruling, the plaintiffs in *Callais* requested the court expedite the process of sending the decision to the lower court. This would allow Louisiana to potentially adopt a new map before the 2026 elections. Responses to the request were due Wednesday, suggesting a swift decision from the court.

The justices also heard arguments in *Mullin v. Doe*, concerning the Trump administration's effort to end the Temporary Protected Status program for Syrian and Haitian nationals. Additionally, the court heard arguments in *Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc.*, a dispute between a medication manufacturer and its generic substitute producer.

Separately, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit denied a request from former President Donald Trump to rehear his appeal in a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The case involves an $83.3 million judgment against Trump. Trump may appeal the judgment to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will soon consider whether to hear arguments on Trump’s appeal of a separate case related to Carroll's claims.