GTC OFFICIAL STATEMENT · APRIL 29, 2026
Good Trouble Circle Responds to
the Supreme Court’s Attack on the Voting Rights Act
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States dealt a devastating blow to voting rights in America. In its 6–3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, the Court effectively gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — one of the most consequential civil rights achievements in our nation’s history.
Good Trouble Circle stands in firm opposition to this ruling and in solidarity with every community whose voice is now more vulnerable to suppression and erasure.
What the Court Did
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has for decades prohibited racial gerrymandering — the deliberate drawing of district lines to dilute the political power of communities of color. The Callais ruling does not formally strike down Section 2, but it rewrites the standard for enforcing it in a way that makes enforcement nearly impossible.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito declared that plaintiffs may only prevail when evidence gives rise to a 'strong inference that intentional discrimination occurred.' This requirement — proof of intent rather than proof of effect — reverses 40 years of civil rights law and congressional intent.
As voting rights attorney Omar Noureldin of Common Cause stated plainly: lawmakers don't announce their discriminatory intent out loud, and legislative privileges typically block the discovery needed to prove it. The bar the Court has set is one almost no plaintiff can clear.
Rep. John Lewis leading the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, Alabama, 1965. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
What This Means for Our Communities
The practical consequences are immediate and severe. The consequences are already unfolding:
States across the South, including Florida, Mississippi, Georgia and others, now have a green light to redraw congressional maps in ways that systematically dilutes Black, Latino, and minority voting power
Florida advanced a new redistricting map the same day — potentially shifting from 20-8 to 24-4 Republican advantage in its congressional delegation
Analysts estimate Republicans could gain up to 19 U.S. House seats nationally from this ruling
This is happening during the 2026 midterm election cycle
“The Callais requirements have laid the groundwork for the largest reduction in minority representation since the era following Reconstruction.
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The Legacy We Are Protecting
Good Trouble Circle was founded in the spirit of Congressman John Lewis, who crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge and shed blood on Bloody Sunday so that every American could exercise the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act he helped win was not merely a law—it was a covenant between this nation and its citizens.
When the Court weakens that covenant, we do not accept it. We organize.
What Good Trouble Circle Is Calling For
Congress must pass new, comprehensive voting rights legislation immediately. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act must be reintroduced, advanced, and passed into law.
Maryland’s congressional delegation, including Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen, must speak out and act with urgency.
Every Queen Anne’s County voter must be registered, informed, and ready to vote in 2026. Our voice is our power.
Democratic candidates and elected officials at every level must make voting rights a central commitment, not a talking point.
We will not be silent. We will not step back. We will make Good Trouble.
In Good Trouble,
Good Trouble Circle
Queen Anne’s County, Maryland