Can Claiming 'Incumbent Protection' Shield Racial Gerrymanders?

OA1199 - Voting rights expert Jenessa Seymour takes us through this week’s oral arguments in one of the most important cases before the Supreme Court this term: Louisiana v. Callais, which has the potential to end some of the most important protections in the Voting Rights Act and allow states to openly racially gerrymander their electoral districts. Also discussed: a related New York state case which may be affected by Callais, and a footnote on what one lying Chicago cop was willing to do to get out of dozens of traffic and speeding tickets--and how actual justice has finally caught up with him.

1. Louisiana v. Callais Supreme Court docket

2. Oral arguments in Louisiana v Callais(10/15/2025)

3. 52 U.S.C. § 10301 (Sec 2 of the Voting Rights Act)

4. Thornburg v Gingles, 478 U.S. 30 (1986)

5. Rucho v. Common Cause 588 U.S. 684 (2019)

6. Full text of NY’s John L. Lewis Voting Act

7. Submit a comment on the Election Assistance Commission’s proposal to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voting registration form

8. “Chicago Cop Who Falsely Blamed an Ex-Girlfriend for Dozens of Traffic Tickets Pleads Guilty but Avoids Prison,”  Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica (10/2/2025)

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