WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday voted 6-3 along partisan lines to rule that Louisiana's 2024 election map was "an unconstitutional racial gerrymander," marking a pivotal decision in the two parties' battle over redistricting.

In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Louisiana's new majority-minority district -- a new majority-Black district -- violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

"In sum, because the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, no compelling interest justified the State's use of race in creating SB8," the opinion said, referring to the 2024 Louisiana congressional map law.

"That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander, and its use would violate the plaintiffs' constitutional rights," it said.

In a dissenting opinion, three liberal judges said under the court's new view, "a state can, without legal consequence, systematically dilute minority citizens' voting power."

A report by The New York Times said that in striking down a Louisiana voting map as a racial gerrymander, the court dealt a blow to a landmark civil rights law and opened the door for other states to redraw their congressional maps in ways that could affect elections for years to come.

In August 2025, the Republican-dominated Texas House of Representatives passed a redistricting bill, helping kick off a broader national push and intensifying what analysts called a nationwide "gerrymandering arms race." California quickly responded and redrew the congressional map favoring Democrats.

In Missouri and North Carolina, state lawmakers redrew their maps to make them more favorable to Republicans.

Voters in the U.S. state of Virginia recently approved a Democrats-friendly redistricting measure, but a judge found the referendum unconstitutional. The Virginia Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will allow a lower court order temporarily blocking the commonwealth from certifying the results of a redistricting referendum to remain in place. ■