The Supreme Court redefined whose vote matters

The Court’s ruling in Callais v. Louisiana clears the way for a tidal wave of attacks on the voting power of Black people.

By Rachel Faulkner, NCJW Senior Director, Program and Event Engagement

In a 6-3 ruling in Callais v. Louisiana in April 2026, the Supreme Court furthered its long-term efforts to destroy the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This decision effectively gutted Section 2 of this landmark legislation, a critical civil rights protection that kept people in power from creating voting districts and using other tools to intentionally silence and disenfranchise Black voters and other voters of color. 

To be clear, the decision is devastating. It takes a sledgehammer to one of the most critical  legal tools people of color have to challenge discriminatory maps and voting rules designed to silence and erase us. It opens the floodgates for states to gerrymander their districts and  undercut the political power of people of color — the very people the Voting Rights Act was designed to protect. 

These protections weren’t put in place because someone thought we might need them one day. They were designed in direct response to violence and intimidation Black people were regularly facing through the generations as we attempted to register and exercise our sacred right to vote. 

Two years ago, I had the honor of leading a trip to Selma, Alabama for 150 National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) changemakers to mark the anniversary of Bloody Sunday and honor the legacy of those who fought for civil rights — whose fight led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

This trip was necessary for so many reasons. For one, it’s important for us to show up with a loud and proud Jewish voice that honors the history and ongoing dedication to tzedek, or justice.  And for our advocates specifically, it’s important to recognize that the way the issues we work on — like lack of access to paid leave, cuts to life-saving programs like SNAP, denial of access to reproductive health care — disproportionately impact people of color.

Being a good partner takes work, and we wanted to ensure that we put in that work during this trip. We built in opportunities to not just understand the legacy of the civil rights movement, but how people of color — and particularly Black people — are still fighting for justice today. We took time to learn about the legacy of slavery, of lynching, of medical experimentation and the continued Black maternal health crisis. And with that knowledge fresh in our minds, we walked across the same bridge that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and other organizers marched across to fight for the very protections that the Supreme Court has essentially eviscerated with its recent ruling. 

I keep thinking about this devastating ruling through the lens of that visit to Selma. In his opinion, Justice Alito wrote that “discrimination that occurred some time ago and present-day disparities characterized as ongoing ‘effects of societal discrimination’ are entitled to much less weight.” 

In effect, the conservative majority on the Court redefines racism; pretending that discrimination only exists when someone is yelling slurs at you on the street or burning a cross on your lawn. But as Jews, we know that discrimination and hate come in many forms. We know the danger of dog whistles, of exclusion, of being classified as legally lesser than. 

Just because Black people do not face the same level of physical threats while voting now as they did during the 1960s does not mean we do not continue to face racism and discrimination. Like the marchers at Selma, we will continue moving forward. 

And today, we must continue this legacy. We must continue working with, learning from, and supporting the efforts of our Black, Brown, Latino, and Indigenous siblings. If you find yourself looking for actions to take in the wake of the Callais ruling, I encourage you to take an inventory of who you’re listening to. Are you following organizations who advocate for the rights of people of color? Are you reading books by Black and Brown authors? Are you following educators and activists of color on social media? Have you called on Congress to pass voting rights legislation like the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act? These are small steps you can take that make a big impact as we build power to protect our democracy. 

One person marching alone makes little impact. But when we march together, we can shape our future.