ATLANTA — A Supreme Court ruling that could impact midterm elections is drawing reaction from leaders nationwide.
The ruling found a Black majority congressional district in Louisiana relied too heavily on race, striking down the state’s second majority-Black district in a 6 to 3 decision.
U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock called the decision a “slap in the face.”
“Make no mistake, this ruling hearkens back to the darkest days of the Jim Crow era, where black Americans were kept out of rooms of power,” Warnock said.
Warnock also said the decision is “one huge step backwards, for racial justice, and for the health of our democracy.”
He warned the ruling could impact elections in Georgia.
“Voting is not only a political exercise, it is in a real sense a sacred undertaking,” Warnock said.
“The voices of the American people are being further squeezed out of their democracy,” he added.
Ambassador Andrew Young also spoke out against the decision.
“I don’t know why the Supreme Court would do something, anything, that would lessen the role of protecting the right to vote,” Young said.
“I’ve been beat up, I’ve been jailed, I’m convinced God is on the side of the least of these his children,” he added.
Some prominent Georgia Republican candidates are calling for lawmakers to redraw congressional district lines in response to the ruling.
Despite opposition from Democrats, Louisiana Republican Governor Jeff Landry supported the ruling.
“I think this whole race baiting, race issue, under redistricting has been put to bed once and for all,” Landry said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose district is in Louisiana, also supported the decision.
“We’ve been seeing that consistently from the beginning; that was the obvious result,” Johnson said.
A spokesman for Governor Brian Kemp said the governor’s office is actively analyzing the ruling and its potential impacts on Georgia.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.