Raphael Warnock

Sen. Raphael Warnock criticized a recent Supreme Court decision that struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana.

The ruling has prompted calls from some Republican representatives in Southern states to redraw congressional maps.

The senator was joined by local leaders in Savannah to denounce the court's decision as a step backward for voting rights.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock was flanked by rows of Savannahians and local Democratic leaders outside First African Baptist Church Monday morning, a site central to the Civil Rights Movement both locally and nationally.

The flock was there to criticize a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that critics say weakened a provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a core piece of legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, and will dilute the voting power of Black citizens.

"Last week marked a devastating day in the history of our country and a massive step backwards in American democracy," Warnock said. "... I promised that I would fight for all Georgians, and this is an assault on the ability of ordinary people to be heard."

The SCOTUS ruled 6-3 along ideological lines, with the courts conservative bloc in support, to strike down a proposed majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana. The ruling stated the district was an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander."

That SCOTUS decision has led to a flurry of representatives from states in the South, including Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, to call for special sessions of their state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional maps. Coastal Georgia’s U.S. House Rep. Buddy Carter, who is also in a Republican primary for U.S. Senate, has called for a special session of the Georgia General Assembly to redraw the maps this year.

“The U.S. Supreme Court opened the door by making clear that race cannot be used to draw congressional districts. That gives Georgia a chance to fix maps that do not reflect where our voters actually stand,” Carter said in an Op-Ed published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, adding Republicans need to redraw the seats to compete for the U.S. House.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has ruled out redrawing congressional maps for this year’s races but said the legislature should redraw its maps ahead of the 2028 election cycle, according to reporting by the AJC. States such as Tennessee have moved forward with drawing new maps that split majority-Black districts.

Warnock criticized the court’s decision as bringing back “race-neutral policies” that negatively impact Black voters, saying those citizens will now be the target of gerrymandering that dilutes their representation. The senator also evoked “race- neutral policies” of the Jim Crow era such as poll tests.

“There’s nothing new about this. Black and brown voters are being targeted,” he said.

Warnock introduced legislation in September last year aimed at banning partisan gerrymandering, instead proposing redistricting be done by independent state commissions. He added that gerrymandering was a catalyst for inaction in Congress.

“Ultimately, we ought to get rid of racial and partisan gerrymandering. We ought to stop playing with the lines,” Warnock said. “There are almost no competitive congressional districts in our country, and so that's hurting Democrats and Republicans.”

The senator was joined by Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and First African Baptist Pastor Rev. Thurmond Tillman, and all three referenced the site’s significance to the Civil Rights Movement. Ralph Mark Gilbert, known as the father of Savannah’s Civil Rights movement, was the church’s 13th pastor. The church was also the site of a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Tillman said that history, including Gilbert’s conviction that African Americans needed specific voting rights, has led him to oppose the court’s decision.

“This church, home to the oldest black congregation in North America, represents hope, resilience, even in the darkest days of our nation's history,” Tillman said. “Today we face another setback, but we will not be discouraged. We will continue to stand up and speak out.”

Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [email protected].