WASHINGTON — COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WILL “FIGHT BACK” against what he described as attacks on their right to political representation, said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday, following the Supreme Court of the United States’ strikedown of Louisiana’s Congressional map.
SCOTUS ruled in the appeals case Louisiana V. Callais Et. Al that the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, and “therefore no compelling interest justified the state’s use of race,” according to the Supreme Court’s majority opinion. However, Jeffries has argued the rationale for Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is to prevent voter suppression for those who have had less opportunity than the general electorate to take part in elections.
Jeffries, who represents New York’s predominantly Black 8th District, covering central Brooklyn, gave an impassioned speech on what he described as the right of people of color to choose elected officials who they believe represent their needs.
“Today’s decision by this illegitimate Supreme Court majority strikes a blow against the Voting Rights Act [of 1965] and is designed to undermine the ability of communities of color all across this country to elect their candidate of choice. […] We view setbacks as nothing more than a setup for a comeback. […] When we take back the majority in the aftermath of the November 2026 elections, one of our first acts is going to be to make sure we pass the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights [Advancement] Act so we can end the era of voter suppression in America once and for all,” Jeffries said.
That bill, which was named for the longtime Congressmember and civil rights leader, was introduced in 2025 to strengthen the original Voting Rights Act, by establishing an updated framework to determine which jurisdictions have enacted laws that suppress voting and representation rights of peoples who have not historically been considered privileged.
Although New York enacted its own state-level John Lewis Voting Rights Act in 2022, the Senate and House versions of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 have stalled in their respective Judiciary Committees.
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