WASHINGTON – In response to the Supreme Court decision for the case Louisiana v. Callais. in regards to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Leslie Fields, Chief Federal Officer of WE ACT for Environmental Justice shares a response,
“On April 29th, environmental justice communities suffered another blow to their democratic voting rights. The Voting Rights Act was enacted due to the decades of blood and lives lost, sweat, hard work, and organizing during vicious racial Jim Crow segregation. With the Supreme Court eviscerating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), in the case Louisiana v. Callais., we are seeing a betrayal of those who fought for true protections of our rights in a democratic system.
The same communities in Louisiana suffering from environmental racism also labor under white supremacist voting discrimination. When communities cannot elect representatives of their choice, they will not have equitable laws and policies to address and enforce against environmental pollution in their communities. For example, the 5th Circuit ruled in February 2026 that communities in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley’s lawsuit demanding a moratorium on polluting industries can proceed, (Inclusive LA, Mt.Triumph Baptist Church and RISE St. James v. St. James Parish et.al.). Originating in slavery, discriminatory land-use policies had been in existence for decades, such that 28 out of the 32 polluting plants had been placed in the majority Black districts in St. James Parish.
By the 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court just reduced Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to “a dead letter,” according to Justice Kagan’s dissent. The Louisiana state map that had a second majority Black congressional district, to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (and preserve Speaker Johnson’s district) was held an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Section 2 is the primary nationwide backstop against discriminatory voting practices, by prohibiting any voting standard, practice, or procedure that results in the denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. Now the Court mandates a strong inference of intentional discrimination, which is a much higher bar than the previous “results test.” Challenges now will be extremely difficult, with partisan defenses being used to decrease the rights of Black voters. Section 2 applies nationwide, and this new standard will affect local, state, and federal districts everywhere.
As the country is facing rollbacks of key environmental bedrock laws, funding, and the loss of scientific data and experts, the gutting of this key provision of the Voting Rights Act hits the same communities. Without the ability to elect representatives of their choice, communities disproportionately burdened by pollution (due, in many cases, to discriminatory siting) will continue to suffer poor health, economic, educational, and social outcomes, exacerbated by the climate crisis. This decision is in line with the Trump administration’s intent to deny Black communities their constitutional right to participate in the democratic process. Our forebearers, ancestors, and future generations are depending on us to fight back on every platform possible. We must never stop the work to restore and envision a democratic future where all our rights are respected and enforced for everyone. A luta continua!”
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan-based, membership-driven organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents are meaningfully included in the development of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram. WE ACT’s legislative priorities are detailed in our 2026 Policy Agenda.