{"id":27178,"date":"2026-04-30T00:20:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/?p=27178"},"modified":"2026-04-30T00:30:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:30:55","slug":"press-release-uusj-on-voting-rights-decision-by-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/press-release-uusj-on-voting-rights-decision-by-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Release: UUSJ on Voting Rights Decision by Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/b> April 30, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact<\/b>: Pablo DeJes\u00fas | <\/span>info@uusj.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Share: <\/b>https:\/\/bit.ly\/VRA_April2026<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Tremendous Blow Against Voting Rights<\/b><\/h2>\n

Conservative Justices clear the way for gerrymandering\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

Washington, D.C.<\/b> \u2013 Yesterday, April 29, in a significant ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court facilitated the potential, perhaps likely,\u00a0 weakening of voting influence for people of color and language minority groups. Wednesday’s decision in <\/span>Louisiana v. Callais<\/span><\/i> essentially permits the drawing of racially biased political maps nationwide, affecting representation at all levels of government, from Congress down to local school boards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This decision threatens the anti-discriminatory principles enshrined in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, as well as the Voting Rights Act (VRA).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pablo DeJes\u00fas, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice<\/b>, stated:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn this 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act, and Unitarian Universalists strongly oppose the action. It runs counter to our teachings on equity, justice, and inclusion. That every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness. That we work to be a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community where all thrive. That we work to ever-widen our circles of solidarity and mutual respect.<\/span><\/p>\n

In our view, this ruling expresses a willingness to rob\u2014yes, steal and deprive\u2014voters of their \u2018somebodyiness\u2019 in our body politic. King\u2019s antidote to the \u2018nobodiness\u2019 produced by centuries of systemic racism and segregation. What has become, in our modern-day circumstances, a profound glee for othering, vilification, and scapegoating. A disturbing desire to sideline those holding different perspectives, in dissent, or opposition. We as Unitarian Universalists do not condone that tendency.<\/span><\/p>\n

By interpreting Section 2 to require proof of intentional racial discrimination, which is difficult to demonstrate, this ruling undermines the protections against racial gerrymandering and may lead to increased partisan gerrymandering. We fear modern echoes of Jim Crow-style voter suppression. We disagree with the majority, which emphasized the need for strong evidence of current intentional discrimination. That approach ignores how systems of oppression, repression, and disenfranchisement have lingering effects and metastasize as social and governance norms with subtle expression\u2013yet profound consequences. Especially regarding voting and voter participation.<\/span><\/p>\n

We agree with Justice Kagan’s dissent, which argued that the decision effectively nullifies the VRA and will erode minority voting power. \u201cEviscerate the law\u201d was the phrase she used. That worries us. In our republic and representative system, non-participation is a foundational and existential threat. If the people have no real and substantive mechanism to consent to be governed, to vote, and participate, then the compact between those who govern and those who are governed is all but rendered null and void. Indeed, too many of the actions by those with governing power since January of 2025 have seemed designed to press this case and prove to Americans that our voices matter little to those in leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many serious and sober considerations of this decision project that the ruling may disadvantage minority voting strength by allowing district maps that dilute minority voting power. Rather than fighting to mount arguments that win over such communities, achieving victory in the vaunted \u2018market place of ideas,\u2019 they will be strategically ignored. They will be thinned and diminished to near voicelessness. Robbed of their voting \u2018somebodyiness,\u2019 rendered back to voting \u2018nobodiness.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

This decision follows a trend of the Court limiting the VRA’s reach, notably after the 2013 <\/span>Shelby County v. Holder<\/span><\/i> decision, and aligns with the 2019 <\/span>Rucho<\/span><\/i> decision, which deemed partisan gerrymandering beyond judicial intervention. Those were mistaken legal findings. History will prove so, eventually. Yet, in the here and now, the impact of this ruling could extend to various levels of government, potentially reversing gains in minority representation in local elections. That is deeply troubling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We Unitarian Universalists oppose this decision, and recommit to the ongoing fight to secure voting rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

-#-<\/p>\n

Established in 1999, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice is a network of Unitarian Universalist individuals and congregations that lifts up the light of reason, the warmth of community, and the flame of hope to advance equitable national policies and actions aligned with UU values through witness, education, and advocacy. We envision a just, compassionate, and sustainable world community.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Follow us on <\/span><\/i>Bluesky<\/span><\/i><\/a>, X<\/span><\/i>@UUSJ<\/span><\/i><\/a>, <\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Threads<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

###<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 30, 2026 Contact: Pablo DeJes\u00fas | info@uusj.org Share: https:\/\/bit.ly\/VRA_April2026   A Tremendous Blow Against Voting Rights Conservative Justices clear the way for gerrymandering\u00a0 Washington, D.C. \u2013 Yesterday, April 29, in a significant ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court facilitated the potential, perhaps likely,\u00a0 weakening of voting influence for people of color and … Continue reading Press Release: UUSJ on Voting Rights Decision by Supreme Court<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1241,1934,13,1938,17,1970,335],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anti-racism-multiculturalism","category-civil-liberties","category-democracy","category-politics","category-racism","category-unitarian-universalism","category-uusj-press-releases","category-voting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27178"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27183,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27178\/revisions\/27183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}