What Does the Supreme Court Decision in Louisiana v. Callais Mean for Multiracial Democracy? | S2 E11

In this episode of Law & Democracy, hosts Tony Gaughan, Ned Foley, and Anne Ralph sit down with leading election law expert Professor Josh Douglas. Recorded just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court released its 92-page opinion in Louisiana v. Callais, the panel breaks down the immediate fallout of the breaking news. Prof. Douglas explains how the ruling makes it incredibly difficult for plaintiffs to bring Section 2 claims under the Voting Rights Act by creating an impossibly high evidentiary burden for racial vote dilution lawsuits. The discussion highlights how the Court is now effectively condoning partisan gerrymandering, allowing states to cut off lawsuits by using partisan goals as a defense against racial gerrymandering claims. Finally, Prof. Douglas touches on his experiences as a visiting scholar in Brazil and shares why, despite a challenging legal landscape, he still considers himself a “Democracy Optimist”. Guests & Hosts: Guest: Prof. Josh Douglas, J. David Rosenberg Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law. Hosts: Tony Gaughan, Ned Foley, & Anne Ralph from the Election Law Program at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. If you enjoyed this discussion, please don’t forget to like and subscribe to Law & Democracy!