by Chris Dorsey, President & CEO of DHM
On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that guts the Voting Rights Act. It is now significantly harder to challenge redistricting maps for racial discrimination. For decades, courts could assess the impact of those maps—regardless of intent. That standard has been overturned.
Disciples Home Missions receives this decision with grief and resolve.
A Hard-Won Legacy
The Voting Rights Act was the result of over a century of struggle. Many regarded it as a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. It was actually signed into law less than five months after peaceful marchers were violently attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. This history is not distant—it lives in the memories of our elders and in the ongoing work of our communities. The Court has been chipping away at this law for years. This ruling is the most damaging blow yet.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has spoken out on this before. In 2013, when the Supreme Court struck down a central provision of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, the General Assembly meeting in Orlando, Florida, adopted GA-1337 calling on Congress to restore the protections that had been removed and declaring solidarity with all those working to ensure equal access to the vote. GA-1337 affirmed that voter suppression is still real—through gerrymandering, restrictive ID laws, intimidation, and unfair redistricting. Louisiana v. Callais continues that dismantling. Our response remains the same: we will not back down.
Why This Matters
Voting is how people who have been historically excluded from power make their voices heard. When the votes of minoritized communities are diluted or suppressed, their rights and wellbeing suffer. Their dignity is threatened and undermined.
In contrast, when those communities build coalitions with one another, they gain the collective strength to shape a democracy that works for everyone. The decision in Louisiana v. Callais makes coalition-building more urgent than ever. We all need to understand that we have a role to play in combatting this egregious decision.
What We Are Asking of Disciples
The faith community has always played a vital role in the struggle for voting rights. Churches and people of faith were at the center of the Civil Rights Movement—and they are needed now. We call on Disciples congregations and leaders to:
Help people vote.
Share information on how to register and where to vote. Encourage members to staff voter registration booths and serve as election protection volunteers.
Contact your state representatives.
Redistricting maps are drawn at the state level. Let your representatives know that, as people of faith, you stand against discrimination in all its forms.
Keep going.
Setbacks are real—but they must not paralyze us. Change is coming. We must keep pressing forward.
What We Are Doing
Voter Registration and Empowerment is one of the core priorities for Disciples Home Missions. We are assembling a panel of voting rights experts for an upcoming webinar, and we will release additional guidance and resources. We are also partnering with Disciples ministries, as well as ecumenical and interfaith organizations to make a difference.
This summer, in partnership with Faith Out Loud, Disciples Home Missions will host a workshop on protecting the right to vote at the Biennial Session of National Convocation in Dallas, Texas.
Resources:
Disciples Advocate Digest video conversation between DHM President Chris Dorsey and Director for Justice and Advocacy Ministries Brian Frederick-Gray on the Louisiana v. Callais Supreme Court Decision.
GA-1337 (Emergency Resolution) Concerning the Decision of the United States Supreme Court to Dismantle the Voting Rights Act.
The ACLU Voting Rights Hub offers a plain-language explainer of the decision, current analysis, and ways to get involved.
Faiths United to Save Democracy Poll Chaplain/Peacekeeper Training empowers people of faith to ensure voter protection in a free, fair, and safe election.
Promoting Greater Justice and Mercy in the World.
