MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026

Legal Defense Fund joins partner organization to rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. as the court hears the voter redistricting case Louisiana v Callais, March 24, 2025. (photo by Allison Shelley for LDF)

Media Briefing: Civil RIghts Organizations, State and Federal Lawmakers Respond to SCOTUS Decision on Voting Rights Act

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, D.C. – The nation’s leading civil rights organizations, state and federal legislators, and other advocates and officials will hold a virtual media briefing on Thursday, April 30, at 11am Eastern Time, to discuss a path forward following the U.S. Supreme Court’s devastating blow to the Voting Rights Act with its decision in in Louisiana v. Callais.

The ruling threatens to invite a new wave of discriminatory redistricting across the country and to roll back decades of hard‑fought progress that brought the nation closer to a democracy where every voice matters equally.

Representatives from the following organizations will participate:

National Urban League

Legal Defense Fund

NAACP

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

National Action Network

National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

National Council of Negro Women

Congressional Black Caucus

Louisiana State Legislature

and others

Members of the media can register at THIS LINK. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the briefing.

WHAT: Media Briefing on U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Voting Rights Act

WHEN: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11am Eastern Time

WHO:

National Urban League

Legal Defense Fund

NAACP

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

National Action Network

National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

National Council of Negro Women

Congressional Black Caucus

Louisiana State Legislature

and others

REGISTRATION LINK: http://bit.ly/4udGHEU

Judi Durand

DAJDPR

judi.durand@dajdpr.com

703.725.6017

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., at January 2021 Journal-isms Roundtable (Credit: Sharon Farmer/sfphotoworks)

Rep. James Clyburn minced no words:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais is a giant step backward in our “pursuit of a more perfect Union,” as this activist court continues to dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act, one decision at a time.

“This decision threatens to send our country deeper into the thicket of never-ending redistricting fights, with repeated aggressive map redraws, protracted legal battles, and relentless partisan tugs-of-war, all of which are destined to result in more regressive Court decisions.

“This Court seems hellbent on redeeming the post-Reconstruction America that neutered the 1875 Civil Rights Act and other legislative and judicial actions that drastically limited Black participation and achievement, and eliminated African American political representation in multiple Southern states.”

Others said much the same: (links courtesy Phil Lewis:)

NAACP President Derrick Johnson at April 2018 Journal-isms Roundtable

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the ruling was “a devastating blow to what remains of the Voting Rights Act.”

“Today’s decision is a devastating blow to what remains of the Voting Rights Act, and a license for corrupt politicians who want to rig the system by silencing entire communities. The Supreme Court betrayed Black voters, they betrayed America, and they betrayed our democracy,” Johnson said in a statement.

https://bsky.app/…/phillewis.bsky…/post/3mkne3pcpm22w…

Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the “1619 Project,” said the ruling will likely lead to a “disappearance of much of the Black congressional representation.”

“There are people still living who fought — and watched their compatriots be murdered — for the passage of this act and to attempt to democratize America,” she wrote. “To see it [completely] felled in the span of their OWN lifetime is just absolutely devastating.”

https://bsky.app/…/nhannahjones…/post/3mknepb5vps2g…

Related: Supreme Court ruling threatens Black voting power beyond Louisiana, Capital B

https://capitalbnews.org/louisiana-v-callais-supreme…/

Supreme Court Deals a Death Blow to the Voting Rights Act, Mother Jones

https://www.motherjones.com/.../supreme-court-louisiana…/

Supreme Court Eviscerates The Voting Rights Act, HuffPost

https://www.huffpost.com/…/supreme-court-voting-rights…

Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities – so long as they do it under the guise of…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 29, 2026

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Barack Obama

@BarackObama

Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities – so long as they do it under the guise of “partisanship” rather than explicit “racial bias.” And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach. The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers – not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.

2:46 PM · Apr 29, 2026