As a supreme court ruling looms, the US is dismantling Black voting power

‘The south is once again the testing ground for whether we pick up the hammer and strike a blow for democracy.’ Photograph: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Legal Defense Fund

There are moments in American history when the stakes are unmistakable. This is one of them.

The forthcoming decision in Louisiana v Callais will not just be another supreme court ruling in a long line of voting cases. This time the issue is whether the Voting Rights Act (VRA) can still require states to draw electoral maps that give Black voters a meaningful chance to elect representatives.