Voting rights reforms are still needed after Supreme Court ruled against gerrymandered map

The Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 10. (AP)

Not so long ago in the United States, a Supreme Court decision to strike down a racially gerrymandered congressional map would not have surprised most Americans.

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — a law that enjoyed wholehearted bipartisan support for nearly five decades — prohibits the drawing of political districts that give Black Americans “less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.”