The Supreme Court on Wednesday limited the scope of a key Voting Rights Act provision that restricts how states draw districts affecting minority voters, constraining states’ use of race as a factor when drawing congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. 

The 6-3 ruling narrows how states can consider race when drawing maps, a shift that could affect minority representation in multiple states and trigger a new wave of legal challenges over congressional boundaries.

The decision maintains the current legal standard for redistricting disputes nationwide, likely sustaining existing maps in several states and shaping how future challenges unfold in federal courts.

The case, Louisiana v. Callais, was first argued last March before the Supreme Court, and centered on whether Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map, which had added a second majority-Black district, amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

The dispute reached the high court after months of legal back-and-forth, including oral arguments last March, and a rare second round of arguments last October, focused on whether Louisiana’s map (and creation of the second majority-Black district under the VRA) violated the 14th or 15th Amendments of the Constitution.

Conservative justices appeared skeptical during October’s arguments about keeping Section 2 of the VRA in place, as-is, and pressed the lawyer for the NAACP on whether she believed there should be a time duration limit on the intentional use of race in drawing voting districts under the law.

JUDGES SAY THEY’LL REDRAW LOUISIANA CONGRESSIONAL MAP THEMSELVES IF LAWMAKERS CAN’T

During those arguments, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and other conservatives on the high court appeared open to the idea that Congress, in passing the 1965 Voting Rights Act law, may have intended a sort of «sunset period» for Section 2, allowing it to weaken over time. 

That possibility was invoked by Kavanaugh several times during oral arguments, as he pressed lawyers for the state of Louisiana and the NAACP for more specifics.

Hashim Mooppan, the principal deputy solicitor general, told the court the congressional map in Louisiana that was drafted in response to Section 2 of the VRA could also be construed as a «reverse partisan gerrymander,» and one that is also based on «purely racial» considerations.

Meanwhile, NAACP lawyer Janai Nelson, arguing the case on behalf of Black voters, told the high court that siding with Louisiana’s request to reverse the map would be a «staggering reversal of precedent,» which she said «would throw maps across the country into chaos.»

NEW MAJORITY-BLACK LOUISIANA HOUSE DISTRICT REJECTED, NOVEMBER ELECTION MAP STILL UNCERTAIN

Black Louisiana voters and civil rights advocates call on SCOTUS to uphold a fair and representative congressional map in Louisiana v. Callais at the Supreme Court of the United States on Mar. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Legal Defense Fund)

A ruling from the high court has long been expected to have major implications for future elections. 

Critics have warned in recent months that weakening VRA could further erode protections for minority voters under the Voting Rights Act, at a time when several Republican-led states have attempted to aggressively push through new congressional maps ahead of the midterms.

They argued in filings to the Supreme Court that non-Black voters failed to show the direct harm required for equal protection claims or prove race was the main factor in redrawing the map.

But lawyers arguing the case on behalf of the NAACP and Black voters in the state have warned that a ruling in favor of Louisiana could have a staggering impact on races in 2026 and beyond.

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A recent report from the nonprofit groups Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter Fund estimates that an overhaul of the VRA could swing an estimated 12 Democratic-held House districts in favor of Republican candidates. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back shortly for updates.

La paz de la comunidad de Molino Sur se quebró la mañana de ayer 28 de abril, bajo el eco de gritos de auxilio y la desesperación de un pueblo que presenció lo impensable.

Bajo la sombra de la violencia machista que no da tregua en el país, Marelyn Dayana González Centeno, una joven de apenas 19 años, se convirtió en una víctima más de feminicidio en Nicaragua.

El principal sospechoso es su expareja, Henry Sequeira, quien según testigos la interceptó en un camino rural y acabó con su vida con una saña indescriptible.

La mañana para Marelyn comenzó con un propósito noble. La joven, originaria de Potrero Redondo, se desplazaba por un sendero de la comunidad Molino Sur con un objetivo claro: iba a traer a dos niños pequeños para luego acompañarlos hacia su centro escolar de educación preescolar.

Como cada mañana, su labor era garantizar la seguridad de esos menores, sin imaginar que sería ella quien se encontraría en una situación de total vulnerabilidad. Fue en ese trayecto, a plena luz del día y en la vía pública, donde Sequeira la estaba esperando.

Sin mediar palabra y aprovechando la soledad de ciertos tramos del camino, el agresor la interceptó. Según los reportes médicos y policiales, el sujeto la acuchilló en cinco ocasiones, dirigiendo los ataques hacia zonas vitales del cuerpo.

La brutalidad del ataque dejó a la joven desplomada sobre la tierra, mientras el agresor huía del lugar a bordo de una motocicleta con rumbo a la comunidad La Labranza.

“Se está desangrando”: el video de la angustia

La comunidad no tardó en reaccionar. A través de videos que han circulado en redes sociales, se puede palpar el horror del momento. En las imágenes, se escucha el grito desgarrador de los lugareños: “¡Se está desangrando!”, mientras intentan desesperadamente aplicar presión sobre las heridas para contener la hemorragia.

La solidaridad de los vecinos fue inmediata; en medio de la conmoción, lograron levantarla y coordinar su traslado de emergencia.

Marelyn fue llevada al Hospital Escuela César Amador Molina, en Matagalpa. Sin embargo, la pérdida de sangre y la profundidad de las cinco estocadas fueron determinantes. A pesar de que los médicos intentaron estabilizarla, la joven falleció poco después de ingresar al quirófano. La noticia de su muerte corrió como pólvora, encendiendo la chispa de la indignación en todo el departamento.

Detrás de este crimen hay una historia de acoso y resistencia. Allegados a Marelyn relataron que ella ya había tomado la valiente decisión de separarse de Sequeira meses atrás, precisamente debido a los constantes maltratos y su comportamiento violento. Sin embargo, en un patrón típico de los agresores feminicidas, Sequeira no aceptó la autonomía de la joven.

El sujeto la acosaba constantemente, insistiendo en retomar la relación sentimental. Marelyn, firme en su decisión de vivir una vida libre de violencia, se negó en repetidas ocasiones. Este rechazo fue, según las investigaciones preliminares, el detonante para que el agresor planeara el ataque mortal, esperando el momento en que ella saliera a realizar su labor diaria con los niños para atacarla por sorpresa.

El asesinato de Marelyn Dayana no es un caso aislado, sino un síntoma de una crisis profunda. Este hecho ocurre apenas días después de que el país viviera 22 días de angustia por la desaparición de otra mujer, quien finalmente fue hallada sin vida y cuyo principal sospechoso es también su pareja. Estos casos demuestran que, para las mujeres en Nicaragua, el peligro acecha incluso en los círculos más cercanos.

De acuerdo con los registros del blog especializado La Lupa Feminista, con el asesinato de Marelyn ya se contabilizan 8 casos de feminicidio en lo que va del año Esta cifra es un llamado de alerta para las autoridades y la sociedad civil.

The Canadian government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing renewed criticism that it is not doing enough to curb antisemitism as a new report shows record numbers of hate crimes against the nation’s Jewish population. 

On Monday, human rights organization B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights released a report showing that 6,800 antisemitic incidents took place in the country in 2025, representing a 9.4% increase over 2024. On average, this represented 18.6 incidents a day, and was the «highest volume» the group has recorded since it began tracking incidents.

Just last week, Canada’s Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights released a report on the rise of antisemitism in Canada following the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. The committee issued 22 recommendations for the Canadian government to address the tide of anti-Jewish hate.

FROM AUSCHWITZ, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ISSUES URGENT WARNING OVER RISING ANTISEMITISM IN CANADA

The recommendations span the gamut of expanding research into hate crime data, improving security funding, addressing the display of hate symbols, expanding social media and digital literacy, and increasing educational resources for professionals teachers and students.

In one recommendation, the report addressed the prime minister directly, asking that he reinstate the position of a Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism. Carney eliminated this position in February along with the combating Islamophobia position, integrating them into a different office. His office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about whether he intends to follow the recommendation.

While some welcomed the report, several Jewish Canadians expressed concern whether it accurately identified drivers of antisemitism.

The report does not mention Islamic extremism, and only occasionally mentions anti-Zionist fervor, often describing it using the words of other institutions and respondents.

VIOLENT MOB ATTACKS PRO-ISRAEL GATHERING IN TORONTO DAYS AFTER MAYOR’S ‘GENOCIDE IN GAZA’ REMARKS

Masked pro-Palestinian protesters stormed a pro-Israel event in Toronto, breaking glass and allegedly attacking attendees on Nov. 5, 2025. (Jonathan Karten)

«It is deeply troubling and bewildering that the Senate report doesn’t even reference religious radicalism as a problem,» Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, host of The Jewish World podcast, told Fox News Digital.

«The reluctance to identify the radicals is itself evidence of ignorance and bias,» he said. «By their silence, politicians are implying that they think the broad Muslim community is supportive of the radicals and therefore fear alienating that community by denouncing the radicals. Truth be told, it is often that moderate Muslims are the first who suffer at the hands of radical elements.»

Poupko added that it «is notoriously difficult to quantify with any degree of certainty what percentage of Canadian Muslims support the radicals,» but said «it is certainly far from a majority.»

CANADA’S CARNEY UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT AFTER SYNAGOGUES SHOT AT IN LATEST ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS

Anti-Israel protesters gather outside the Beth Avraham Yoseph synagogue in Toronto on March 7, 2024. The synagogue was one of three targeted in shootings during the first week of March 2024. (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu)

The Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council raised concerns of its own about the Senate’s recommendations. Though it «reaffirm[ed] that combating antisemitism is essential to protecting all communities in Canada,» the group stated on X that «certain recommendations… raise serious concerns about potential impacts on Charter-protected freedoms, including protest and expression» and suggested «efforts to address hate» should «not inadvertently limit civil rights, restrict lawful advocacy or disproportionately marginalize communities.»

Aviva Klompas, CEO and co-founder of Boundless Israel, told Fox News Digital that she applauds the report’s recommendations of «creating safety zones around religious institutions and community spaces, strengthening hate crime enforcement and education,» but does not «think it fully accounts for the multiple dimensions driving this immediate surge, including Islamic extremism and the ways anti-Zionism is used as a cover to target Jews.»

There are concerns about whether the Senate’s recommendations are sufficient to address the current climate of anti-Jewish hate. Poupko said, «Antisemitism is too generic a term to describe what is now the problem,» adding that the «‘old’ solutions, like education, police training and Holocaust awareness are clearly insufficient to meet the challenge.»

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faces criticism over the rise in antisemitic attacks after shootings at synagogues in the Toronto area earlier this year. (Renaud Philippe/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Klompas says she «appreciate[s] that a plan is being put into place» but is concerned «that it doesn’t meet the urgency of the moment. Jewish schools have been shot at, synagogues repeatedly targeted and Jewish-owned businesses vandalized.»

She questioned whether anyone would «gamble on a new task force or education training programs to keep your family and friends safe at a moment when they are actively under attack?»

Ian McLeod, senior media relations advisor at the Canadian Department of Justice, told Fox News Digital, «The Government of Canada is taking concrete action to counter hate in all its forms, including antisemitism, and reinforce that our society will not tolerate anyone being made to feel afraid because of who they are, how they worship or where they gather.» The spokesperson noted that many of the Senate’s recommendations «reflect these actions.»

Temple Emanu-El in Toronto was shot at on March 3, 2026. No injuries were reported. (Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

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Among the initiatives McLeod said were already underway is Canada’s Action Plan on Combating Hate (CAPCH), launched in September 2024, «which brings new and existing initiatives together to foster greater coordination and collaboration among federal organizations to prevent and address hate.»  

During the same year, McLeod said the Canadian government «announced over $273 million to support community safety, improve responses to hate crimes, help victims, and counter radicalization.»