Supreme Court Ruling Kills Illinois Redistricting Amendment That Would Force Race-Based Districts
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that requiring racial influence districts in redistricting violates the 14th Amendment, killing Illinois' proposed constitutional amendment that would have mandated race-based districting plans.
Illinois Senate Pauses Consideration After High Court Rules Against Racial Influence Districts
A U.S. Supreme Court decision has effectively killed Illinois' proposed redistricting amendment that would have required the creation of racial influence districts and racial coalition districts in any future redistricting plan.
The Illinois Senate has paused any movement on the amendment to assess the June 30, 2026 decision in Louisiana v. Callais and determine what steps to take next, if any. The state Senate would have needed to adopt the amendment by May 3 to send the question to voters in November.
In its 6-3 decision April 29, the Supreme Court ruled that under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, complying with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not a compelling reason to draw congressional districts based predominantly on race. The ruling left Illinois partisan gerrymandering practices untouched but meant the racial district requirement of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 would violate the 14th Amendment.
Senate President Calls for Patience
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon told Capitol News Illinois that state lawmakers would "dissect this decision, find a path forward and continue to protect the rights of all Illinoisans."
"The worst thing that would happen is if we rushed and there were unintended consequences that undermine people's voting rights," Harmon said.
Governor Says Current Maps Are Constitutional
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker spoke with legal experts about the decision, who told him Illinois's current maps are constitutional, even under the new ruling.
"So I'm sure there will be people who will try to attack it, but the reality is, if you read through the Supreme Court decision, I'm told that it validates the maps that are already in place," Pritzker said.
The governor noted that Illinois's next redistricting is currently scheduled for 2031. Pritzker said he was discussing ways to respond with legislative leaders, though he did not offer specifics.
"It is an attack on a crown jewel of our democracy," Pritzker said. "We're not going to stand for it in Illinois. We have options for pushing back."
What the Amendment Would Have Required
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28, which the Illinois House passed last week and sent to the state Senate the day before the Supreme Court decision, would have done little to combat Illinois's problematic history of gerrymandering to avoid competition and gain unfair partisan advantage.
It would have, among other things, required the creation of racial influence districts and racial coalition districts, where practical, in any state or congressional redistricting plan.
Democrats Consider Pushing Back
In the hours after the court's Callais ruling, Democrats renewed their calls for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, also known as VRAA.
"We cannot stand by as Trump's extreme SCOTUS eviscerates protections against voter suppression that heroes like Dr. King and John Lewis marched for," Sen. Tammy Duckworth said in a social media post. "We need to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Now."
Legal Experts Warn of Challenges
Legal experts warned that passing new voting laws would likely be futile if the Supreme Court's conservative-appointed majority strikes them down in a similar manner to how it gutted the Voting Rights Act.
"The Supreme Court today assaulted the Voting Rights Act," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said. "We need to fight back."
What Comes Next
The Illinois Senate would have had to adopt the amendment by May 3 to send the question to voters in November. Instead, lawmakers paused to consider the Supreme Court ruling and its implications.
State lawmakers specifically initiated the proposed amendment in anticipation of the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act. The Illinois House passed the proposal last week. However, after Wednesday's Supreme Court decision, the state Senate paused its consideration of it.
"We will dissect this decision, find a path forward and continue to protect the rights of all Illinoisans. I would ask for patience and time for our state's top legal experts to work through this," Illinois Senate President Don Harmon told Capitol News Illinois.