Nelson’s harsh statement followed Supreme Court rulings in Shelby County, Brnovich and Callais. In the 2013 Shelby County decision, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of declaring Section 4 of the VRA unconstitutional. The framework of the VRA was further damaged in 2021 when, in the Brnovich case, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in defense of Arizona’s out-of-precinct policy, or OOP, and H.B. Most recently, in April 2026, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s attempt to create a second Black-majority congressional district in a 6-3 ruling. This was under the guise of the district being a Section 2 violation of the VRA, which prohibited discriminatory voting practices.