New York Attorney General Letitia James has taken a significant step by co-leading a coalition of 20 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold states' constitutional authority to redraw legislative maps. This action comes as part of the case Louisiana v. Callais, where the coalition supports Louisiana's decision to implement a congressional map with two majority-Black districts after an earlier version was found to likely violate the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
Attorney General James emphasized, "Voters should be empowered to pick their representatives, not the other way around." She stressed that state legislatures have the right to adjust district maps when they fail to represent communities fairly and violate the VRA.
In 2022, a federal court identified that Louisiana's congressional map diluted Black residents' votes, breaching Section 2 of the VRA. Consequently, in 2024, Louisiana's legislature introduced a new map featuring a second majority-Black district. However, this remedial map faced opposition from "non-African American voters" who argued it constituted racial gerrymandering against the Equal Protection Clause. Despite precedents allowing redistricting for compliance with the VRA, a Western District of Louisiana court blocked this new map.
The brief filed by Attorney General James and her colleagues argues that there was substantial justification for adding another majority-Black district under federal law and calls on the Supreme Court to dismiss Alabama and 12 other states' efforts to overturn established interpretations of Section 2 of the VRA.
Alongside New York's Attorney General are attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont Washington Wisconsin and Washington D.C., all backing this initiative.
Attorney General James has been actively involved in safeguarding voting rights both within New York and nationally. Her past actions include defending New York’s Early Mail Voter Act in August 2024 and securing funds from individuals who intimidated Black voters through robocalls. Additionally she has consistently issued alerts regarding voting rights before elections ensuring voter awareness and accessibility.