US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) speaks during his weekly press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on March 19, 2026.
Nathan Howard | reuters
Congressional Democrats on Wednesday vowed to fight with their limited power from minorities in the House and Senate against the Supreme Court’s decision to void a voting map in Louisiana.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “Today’s decision by this illegitimate Supreme Court majority is a blow against the Voting Rights Act and is designed to undermine the ability of communities of color across this country to elect the candidate of their choice,” Trump said at a Congressional Black Caucus press conference on Wednesday. “But we’re not here to retreat, we’re here to fight back.”
The court’s 6-3 decision weakens a key provision Voting Rights Act – A landmark 1965 civil rights law that bans discrimination in voting – and limits the consideration of race in drawing congressional maps. It strikes a majority-black district in Louisiana and could overwhelm other majority-black districts represented by Democrats elsewhere in the country.
Republicans celebrated the decision.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-NC, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement, “Today’s decision is a victory for the Constitution and the principle that every American citizen is equal under the law. The Supreme Court made clear that our elections must be decided by the voters, not through an unconstitutional mandate.”
Hudson continued, “For too long, activists have manipulated the redistricting process to achieve political results, dividing Americans rather than bringing them together. This decision restores fairness, strengthens confidence in our elections and ensures every voter is treated equally under the law.”
The decision is likely to trigger additional redistricting efforts across the country ahead of the November midterm elections and could upset the balance of the House.
“We are not powerless and we are not backing down. The Congressional Black Caucus stands ready to take any steps necessary to protect Black voters in this country,” said CBC Chair Yvette Clark, D-N.Y.
But Democrats are limited in what they can do without power in either chamber.
Clark and other members of the caucus called for its immediate passage. John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement ActA proposal to modernize the Voting Rights Act and strengthen legal protections against discriminatory voting practices and policies. He also said opponents of the decision would pursue Supreme Court reform, including term limits on judges.
At least until after the midterms, it is doubtful that Democrats can bring any of these proposals to the House floor.
At the Capitol, Senate Democrats on Wednesday launched a task force to fight against Republican efforts to disrupt the US elections. The task force will include former Attorney General Eric Holder and Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias and will investigate election threats and work on mitigation strategies.
Democrats have repeatedly raised concerns that President Donald Trump and his Republican allies are trying to overturn the outcome of the November election, which is expected to be difficult for congressional Republicans.
Trump has called for “nationalizing” elections, signed an executive order to restrict mail voting, and pushed legislation to impose voter ID requirements and bar non-citizens from voting, which Democrats and voting rights groups say could disenfranchise millions of Americans.
D.N.Y. “Trump and Republicans are testing how far they can go to undermine free and fair elections because they cannot win on an equal footing,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement announcing the task force. “The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy – and right now, that foundation is under attack.”