Rep. Terri Sewell denounced the U.S. Supreme Court’s Callais ruling, warning it erodes the Voting Rights Act and urging Alabamians to organize.
A warning from Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell landed sharply on the House floor this week: the U.S.. Supreme Court’s Louisiana v.. Callais decision threatens to accelerate what she called the “continued erosion of the Voting Rights Act. ” undercutting protections won during the Civil Rights Movement.
Speaking during the Congressional Black Caucus’s Special Order Hour on Tuesday night. Sewell framed her remarks as both a constitutional concern and a personal one.. She said she grew up in Selma. describing a legacy of violence and resistance tied to the fight for Black voting rights. and she pointed to the history of Birmingham. Tuscaloosa. Marion. and the Black Belt—regions she represents.
Sewell emphasized that communities in her district fought for the right to vote. recalling sacrifices made in earlier eras and arguing that efforts today are designed to push the country in the opposite direction.. Her comments tied the current legal challenge to a broader pattern she said advocates warned would follow major Supreme Court decisions affecting the Voting Rights Act.
During her remarks, Sewell pointed to the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby v.. Holder.. She said that ruling—stemming from Shelby County, Alabama—made Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act inoperable.. Section 5, she noted, had required federal preclearance for changes to voting laws by jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination.
Sewell argued that the result was predictable. In her telling, states across the South moved quickly to adopt restrictive voting measures, including actions such as closing polling places, purging voter rolls, and redrawing maps she said were intended to dilute Black political power.
She then pivoted to the new Supreme Court decision. warning that Callais represents another step back for voting rights and equal justice.. Sewell said the ruling raises the stakes for Alabama’s political map. which she linked to a prior congressional district plan drawn during a 2021 legislature process.
That 2021 map, Sewell noted, has already been struck down as racial gerrymandering by a federal three-judge panel and by the U.S. Supreme Court. But after the Callais decision, the legal path has shifted again, creating fresh uncertainty for what Alabama can use going forward.
The controversy is not limited to one court filing. After the Callais ruling and a petition filed by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, the Supreme Court voided its previous Milligan ruling and the lower court’s decision, sending the case back for reconsideration in light of Callais.
Unless the court intervenes further, Sewell warned that Alabama could proceed with its 2026 elections using the map previously rejected for racial gerrymandering. She also noted that litigation continues challenging the map’s borders.
Sewell used her closing remarks to urge civic engagement as the legal fight plays out, pointing to a statewide demonstration she described as the “All Roads Lead to the South” mass rally scheduled for Saturday, March 16, at 1 p.m. at the Alabama State Capitol.
“If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be working so hard to take it away,” Sewell said. She added that she and supporters intend to “march,” “fight,” “organize,” and vote, arguing that efforts to restrict voting access will be met with sustained resistance.
Her remarks also referenced her legislative work: Sewell has carried the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act since 2018, a measure aimed at strengthening the Voting Rights Act’s enforcement, including through restoring preclearance requirements.
Terri Sewell Louisiana v. Callais Voting Rights Act Congressional Black Caucus Alabama redistricting Shelby v. Holder John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
they been doing this for years and nobody cares until its too late
wait so the supreme court just completely got rid of voting rights altogether?? thats insane i cant believe they can just do that, my mom was literally talking about this last night and said the same thing is happening in our county too
honestly i thought Sewell was from Georgia this whole time so i was confused why she was talking about Alabama but either way the shelby county thing was back in like 2013 so why is everyone acting surprised now, this has been going on for over a decade and people just now waking up to it, and also wasnt callais a different case about something with maps or redistricting i read that somewhere but im not totally sure, the point is these judges are appointed for life and thats the real problem nobody wants to talk about that part though
I honestly dont understand why Louisiana is involved if this is about Alabama voting rights, seems like a whole different state situation and congress should be fixing their own problems before blaming the courts for everything, not saying voting rights arent important but like at some point you gotta wonder if this is just political because every election year suddenly everyone is talking about this and then nothing changes anyway so what is she actually going to do about it besides give a speech