“The United States Supreme Court has voided a key provision of a landmark civil rights law by ruling that the electoral map of Louisiana had been drawn up unconstitutionally to create two Black-majority districts.”

“The decision represents a major reinterpretation of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 – in particular, its provision designed to protect minority voters from having their political power diluted.”

“Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry told Republican candidates for the House of Representatives on Wednesday that he planned to suspend next month’s primary elections to allow state lawmakers time to approve a new congressional map, The Washington Post reported, quoting two people with knowledge of the calls.”

“The court held that a map that created two Black-majority congressional districts in Louisiana was unconstitutional.”

“The 6-3 ruling by justices blocks an electoral map that had given Louisiana a second Black-majority US congressional district.”

“The court’s conservative majority found that the Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race.”

“Chief Justice John Roberts described the 6th Congressional District as a “snake” that stretches more than 320km (200 miles) to link parts of Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge.”

“The Voting Rights Act was a piece of follow-up legislation to the Civil Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B Johnson in 1964.”