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Court decides major Voting Rights Act case

By Kelsey Dallas, Apr 30, 2026

It was a wild Wednesday at the Supreme Court (at least for reporters). Keep reading to understand why.

Note: After we sent yesterday’s newsletter, the Supreme Court moved U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops v. O’Connell off the conference list for May 1. It will be considered by the justices on a later date.

At the Court

On Wednesday, the court released its opinions in Louisiana v. Callais and First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Davenport. In Callais, a 6-3 court held that Louisiana’s map creating a second majority-black district was “an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.” In First Choice, a unanimous court held that a religious nonprofit organization could challenge a subpoena demanding the identities of its financial supporters in federal court.

Later on Wednesday, the “non-African American” voters who challenged Louisiana’s map asked the court on its interim docket to send the Callais decision to the lower court immediately, rather than waiting 32 days, as is typical. By sending it right away, the decision would become final sooner and leave open the possibility that Louisiana could adopt a new map before the 2026 elections. The responses to the voters’ request are due today by 4 p.m. EDT, suggesting that the court could act quickly.

Also on Wednesday, the justices heard argument in Mullin v. Doe, on the Trump administration’s effort to end Syrian and Haitian nationals’ participation in the Temporary Protected Status program, and Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc., a dispute between a manufacturer of medication and its generic substitute.

Tomorrow, the justices will meet in a private conference to discuss cases and vote on petitions for review. Orders from that conference are expected on Monday at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Morning Reads

How the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Ruling Could Affect the Midterms and Beyond

Nick Corasaniti, Emily Cochrane, and Tim Balk, The New York Times

The Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling on the Voting Rights Act “could create a chaotic scramble among states that are considering drawing new congressional maps ahead of November,” according to The New York Times. “The court directly struck down Louisiana’s current map, but Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, gave no indication of any immediate actions in a statement. With a May 16 primary looming – and early voting set to begin this weekend – drawing new congressional boundaries would require a breakneck timetable and perhaps new election dates. Republicans in several other states pointed to the court’s ruling as a justification for redrawing maps – including in Florida, where state lawmakers approved a new map Wednesday creating up to four Republican-leaning seats.” Overall, according to the Times, the ruling “is likely to modestly improve Republicans’ fortunes ahead of the midterm elections, giving them a slight edge in the redistricting wars. … And the ruling all but guarantees that the redistricting arms race will stretch into the 2028 election.”

Louisiana governor prepares to suspend House primaries after court ruling

Dan Merica and Patrick Marley, The Washington Post

Citing two anonymous sources, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday night that “Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) told Republican House candidates Wednesday that he plans to suspend next month’s primary elections so state lawmakers can pass a new congressional map first” in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling. “Landry’s announcement to suspend the May 16 primary could come as early as Friday — one day before early voting is to begin, according to people familiar with his plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.”

As Supreme Court eyes temporary protected status, Congress pushes to extend Haiti deportation shield

Benjamin S. Weiss, Courthouse News Service

As the justices consider whether to allow the Trump administration to revoke temporary protected status from Haitian nationals, the Senate is weighing a measure that would extend the protections currently available to more than 350,000 Haitian migrants, according to Courthouse News Service. “Though the proposed TPS extension cleared the House with support from both parties, it’s unclear how the measure will fare in the Senate, where it will need 60 votes to advance.”

Six Conservative Justices Make King Charles Dinner Guest List

Seth Stern, Bloomberg Law

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump hosted a state dinner for King Charles III, and the Supreme Court’s six Republican-appointed justices were on the guest list, along with their spouses. “None of the court’s three Democratic appointees were on the list,” according to Bloomberg Law. The article noted that the inclusion of all six of those justices was somewhat notable because “Trump has targeted some of the conservative justices in increasingly personal terms since the court struck down the bulk of his global tariffs.”

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