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Supreme Court seems inclined to limit race-based electoral districts under the Voting Rights Act
National

Supreme Court seems inclined to limit race-based electoral districts under the Voting Rights Act

  • By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

The Supreme Court appears ready to gut a key tool of the Voting Rights Act that's helped root out racial discrimination in voting for more than a half century. Such a change would boost Republican electoral prospects, particularly across the South. During 2 1/2 hours of arguments Wednesday, the court's six conservative justices seemed inclined to effectively strike down a Black majority congressional district in Louisiana because it relied too heavily on race. If that is the outcome, it would mark a fundamental change in the 1965 voting rights law that was the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement. The court is expected to rule by early summer in 2026.

This Day in History
Lifestyle

This Day in History

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in southeast Louisiana, breaching levees and spurring floods that devastated New Orleans. Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damage.

PEOPLE-VAL KILMER/

PEOPLE-VAL KILMER/

  • Reuters
  • Updated

Actor Val Kilmer at a press conference for the production of 'Deja Vu' in New Orleans Feb. 2, 2006.

This Day in History
Lifestyle

This Day in History

  • Updated

Today in history: On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, breaching levees and spurring floods that devastated New Orleans. The costliest storm in U.S. history, Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damage.