Hoyer Statement on SCOTUS Decision Regarding Key Provision of the Voting Rights Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement on the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in Louisiana v. Callais that ruled that the Louisiana voting map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander:

"I will always cherish the memory of walking arm in arm with my dear friend and brother Rep. John Lewis across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on our annual pilgrimages to Selma, Alabama. In 1965, on that same asphalt, Alabama State Troopers beat John nearly to death, fracturing his skull with their batons. John knew they would. He made that march on Bloody Sunday because he believed the right to vote was worth whatever pain they could inflict upon him. Later that same year, the Voting Rights Act became law. In 2013, the Supreme Court eroded its protections by striking down its preclearance requirement. Now, the justices have further weakened it with today’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais.

"By allowing Louisiana to redraw its congressional map in a way that dilutes the voting power of minority communities, the six Republican-appointed justices are participating in a brazen ploy to help Republicans keep their House Majority; it is an affront to everything for which John and so many others in the Selma march bled.

"I worked with John to promote voting rights because I agreed with him that the vote 'is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.' While the justices limited their ruling to Louisiana in this case, they have opened the door to prying that powerful tool from the hands of millions of people in the future.  There is no doubt that other Republican-led states will now test the Court’s new standard.

“Each time the Voting Rights Act is weakened, Americans lose a bit more faith in their democracy. I will continue to do everything I can to stand up for Americans' equal right to vote. John would call on us all to do the same."