New York Attorney General Letitia James, alongside a coalition of 20 attorneys general, has called on the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold states’ constitutional authority to redraw legislative maps to address potential violations of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The coalition filed an amicus brief in Louisiana v. Callais, supporting Louisiana’s right to implement a congressional map featuring two majority-Black districts after a prior map was deemed to violate the VRA. The attorneys general emphasize that state legislatures have significant leeway to enact district maps addressing likely VRA violations.
“Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” said Attorney General James. “State legislatures have a constitutional right to correct district maps that fail to represent communities fairly. This amicus brief ensures voters are accurately and equitably represented at all levels of government.”
In 2022, a federal court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map likely diluted Black votes, violating Section 2 of the VRA. To comply with this ruling, the Louisiana legislature introduced a new map in 2024, adding a second majority-Black district. However, a group of non-Black voters challenged the updated map, claiming it constituted unconstitutional racial gerrymandering under the Equal Protection Clause. Despite the Supreme Court precedent permitting redistricting when necessary to meet VRA compliance, the Western District of Louisiana blocked the use of the 2024 map, leaving Louisiana caught between conflicting court directives. The U.S. Supreme Court has now agreed to evaluate the constitutionality of the Western District’s decision.
The brief argues that the federal court’s finding of a likely VRA violation justified Louisiana’s addition of a second majority-Black district, ensuring compliance with federal law without breaching constitutional principles. It also criticizes a separate amicus brief by Alabama and 12 states seeking to overturn long-standing interpretations of Section 2, warning that such a move would destabilize decades of legal precedent.
Attorney General James was joined in filing this brief by attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Attorney General James: A Champion for Voting Rights
Attorney General James has consistently defended voting rights across New York and the nation. In August 2024, she upheld New York’s Early Mail Voter Act. Earlier in the year, she secured $1.25 million from individuals who targeted Black voters with intimidating robocalls. Attorney General James frequently issues election alerts, ensuring voters are informed of their rights and have access to the Office of the Attorney General’s Election Protection Hotline. Notably, in November 2022, she supported New York’s absentee ballot reforms, and in 2021, she led opposition to Georgia’s restrictive voting law. Her efforts also include suing the Rensselaer County Board of Elections in 2021 for inadequate early voting access and advocating for absentee voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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