The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in a 5-to-4 decision that an Alabama congressional map likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters.
The surprise outcome in the closely watched case thrilled voting rights activists, bolstered the power of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and left Alabama to redraw its maps.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, two conservatives, joined the court’s three-member liberal wing — Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor — to make up the majority.
Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented.
“WOW!!!” tweeted Doug Jones, the Democratic former Alabama senator. “This is a huge victory folks, not just for us in Alabama but for voting rights everywhere.”