WASHINGTON — Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held informal planning sessions to map out legal and campaign strategies after the Supreme Court issued a redistricting ruling centered on Louisiana. The caucus, which reached an all-time high of 58 House members this Congress, is coordinating with activists and legal groups to challenge state redistricting efforts and turn out Black voters in November.

CBC Chair and U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke said as many as 19 members of the caucus could be affected by the redistricting wars in a worst-case scenario. "People have sacrificed so much to make this a more perfect union. And here we are, in 2026, seeing this massive regression in all the gains that have been made. It's painful." Clarke said.

States are still drawing new maps following the Supreme Court ruling. In Louisiana, Republicans are racing to redraw the map to scrap one or both of the state's two Democratic, Black-majority districts. On Monday, the Supreme Court sent a case challenging Alabama's new GOP-drawn map back to a lower court, clearing the way for state Republicans to eliminate the district held by freshman Rep. Shomari Figures of Mobile, a CBC member.

GOP-controlled state legislatures have also targeted Rep. Bennie Thompson, the only Democrat in the Mississippi congressional delegation, along with Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina, Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver of Missouri and Rep. Al Green of Texas.

"It's Jim Crow 2.0." Thompson said. "The court decision potentially takes us back 60 years."

The CBC strategy is likely to focus on turning out Black voters in November to support passing voting rights legislation if Democrats win back the House. Should Democrats reclaim the chamber, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries would become the first Black Speaker. Jeffries said he will convene an emergency meeting of House Democrats on Thursday to detail the party's plans to "forcefully push back against the Republican redistricting scheme."

"We're not hopeless, and we're not helpless in this moment. And I think that, as the young people say, these folks may have played themselves, because the backlash is coming, and while Republicans may have momentary gains, the status quo will not hold," she said.