Scholars’ Circle – Why SCOTUS Ruined the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – May 10, 2026

Scholars’ Circle – Why SCOTUS Ruined the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – May 10, 2026

May 11, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v Callais on the Voting Rights Act and gerrymandering.

The Voting Rights Act, or VRA, is viewed as the most important piece of legislation advancing civil rights in the 1960s. Passed in 1965, it was intended to redress the dis-empowerment of African Americans whose voting rights had been restricted due to several states legislation, ranging from poll taxes to literacy tests and other restrictions on voting. Throughout the Roberts Court, the VRA has been restricted and its protections stripped away. In 2026, perhaps the last of these provisions have been overturned, in a decision in the case Louisiana v Callais. ©2026 Rob Rogers. Reprinted with permission On todays show, we will explore this decision and the impact it has on drawing Congressional districts, in an era of particularly aggressive gerrymandering. [ dur: 58mins. ] Eric J. Segall, Ashe Family Chair Professor of Law and the Executive Director of Emmet J. Bondurant Center for Constitutional Law, Practice and Democracy at Georgia State University. He is the author of Originalism as Faith and Supreme Myths: Why the Supreme Court Is Not a Court and Its Justices Are Not Judges . Seth C. McKee is a Professor of Political Science at Oklahoma State University. He is the author of…

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Guests: Eric J. Segall, Seth C. McKee, Christian Grose

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Organizations: Georgia State University, Oklahoma State University, USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy

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