WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court issued a ruling that gutted a key section of the Voting Rights Act that had protected minority communities in political redistricting and helped boost their representation in Congress. The decision cleared the way for Republican-led states to redraw U.S. House districts without regard to race.

Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, voters could challenge electoral maps that appeared to dilute the ability of minority communities to elect representatives of their choosing. After court-ordered redistricting under the law, the number of Black representatives in Congress increased from nine to 13. Following the ruling, Florida Republicans approved a new U.S. House map that redrew one district created to elect a Black representative.

The Congressional Black Caucus condemned the decision. "The Supreme Court has opened the door to a coordinated attack on Black voters across the country. This is an outright power grab," said Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia warned that the ruling could reduce the size of the caucus. "That caucus has had such an important voice in American politics — the things that we've been able to achieve together, the creation of equity and access. And I'm afraid that with this ruling, we could see that caucus shrink in a hugely significant way," Warnock said.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama called for political mobilization in response. "Now more than ever, we need communities across this nation to mobilize — in state legislatures, in the courts and at the ballot box. We need to vote like we've never voted before," she said.

The Congressional Black Caucus was formed in 1971, growing out of the Democracy Select Committee that had been created in the 1960s by Democratic Rep. Charles Diggs. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, expanded that committee into the more formal caucus. In its first year, the group boycotted President Richard Nixon's State of the Union address after he refused to meet with them. Nixon eventually agreed to meet with the caucus. The caucus produced a list of more than 60 recommendations to address issues facing the Black community, including measures to counteract racism and build adequate housing, and earned the nickname "conscience of the Congress."