October 15, 2025

At 10:00 a.m. this morning, the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will take the bench. Shortly thereafter, the clerk will call case 24-109 — State of Louisiana v. Callais. Like many of you, I will be listening to the oral arguments in this critical redistricting case as they happen in real time.

This case isn’t just about one map in one state, it may well have historic implications. At stake is the future of the Voting Rights Act — whether the law, which has afforded minority voters essential legal protections since it was passed in 1965, will stand, and whether we will have free and fair midterm elections in 2026.

I founded Democracy Docket in 2020, for moments exactly like this. Before we had a single subscriber, I envisioned a pro-democracy news outlet that would be the most authoritative voice on the most important cases facing democracy. I wanted it to cover the cases and the angles that legacy media so often overlook or apply a lens of both-sides journalism. 

Democracy Docket will cover the argument live today on social media, on its website and through its newsletters and long-form analysis. But to be honest with you, this is the easy part. 

What I’m most proud of is the hard work that Democracy Docket has been doing when few others were paying attention. It covered every step of this case since it began years ago — tracking every filing, analyzing every development, connecting each to the real-life impact. It’s this deep, committed coverage that sets Democracy Docket apart.

I’ve argued four redistricting cases before the Supreme Court and won all four. In each case, I stood before the court on behalf of Black voters facing unconstitutional district lines. It has always been this way. Groups bringing redistricting claims have always been minority communities who have historically faced discrimination and disenfranchisement. 

What makes the Louisiana lawsuit especially cynical and outrageous is who brought the lawsuit: 12 self-identified “non-African American” voters are arguing that Louisiana's new congressional map — which, after my law firm sued the state, added a second majority-Black district for the first time in almost 30 years — discriminates against them.

This case should never have gotten to this point. The Supreme Court considered this case term Spring and could have quickly rejected these claims. Instead, this summer, the Supreme Court expanded the underlying question to be a potential direct attack on the Voting Rights Act: 

“Whether the State’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S. Constitution.”

If the justices ultimately rule the creation of this second congressional district was unconstitutional, the impact will extend well beyond the Bayou State. Nineteen congressional seats in which Black voters elect their candidates of choice will — overnight — be at risk of being redrawn by Republicans into seats they can control. 

If you thought Texas’ five seat gerrymander was bad, this would be far worse. It would open the possibility of Republicans drawing more gerrymandered maps for the midterms. The result could well swing the control of Congress in 2026 and beyond, the result could be to lock in Republican control of the House for decades.

Oral argument begins at 10 a.m ET, and Democracy Docket will be keeping you updated in real time. You can follow along here. 

One of the commitments I made on day one was that Democracy Docket's website, and its news coverage would always be free to everyone. But this is only possible because of support from its premium members. To be blunt, as Democracy Docket grows to meet the increased demands of these times, the importance of our premium member support is growing as well.

Days like today are exactly why I founded Democracy Docket. If you believe in the importance of pro-democracy news, information and analysis committed to exposing what’s happening to voting rights, elections and democracy in court, I hope you’ll consider powering Democracy Docket’s mission today.

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