# Trump, House speaker urge GOP states to redraw maps after voting rights ruling  
**Published:** 2026-04-30T20:52:48.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/trump-us-house-speaker-prod-gop-states-to-gerrymander-after-voting-rights-ruling/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/trump-house-speaker-urge-gop-states-to-redraw-maps-after-voting-rights-ruling

President Donald Trump capitalized Thursday on a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakening the federal Voting Rights Act, urging Republican governors to redraw congressional maps before the November midterm elections, according to reporting by the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/trump-us-house-speaker-prod-gop-states-to-gerrymander-after-voting-rights-ruling/).

[The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf) that Louisiana's congressional map, which created two majority-Black districts, violated the Constitution. The 6-3 decision by the court's conservative majority limits protections under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by making it harder for plaintiffs to challenge maps for racial discrimination.

The ruling immediately triggered action by Republican officials. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry suspended the state's May congressional primary elections, giving lawmakers time to redraw maps aimed at dismantling at least one majority-Black district. Trump publicly praised Landry for moving quickly and said he spoke with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee about redrawing that state's maps.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, encouraged states to redraw maps before the midterms. "I think all states that have unconstitutional maps should look at that very carefully and I think they should do it before the midterms," Johnson [told CNN](https://x.com/mkraju/status/2049859366480654341?s=20).

The redistricting push reflects [a broader mid-decade redistricting wave unprecedented in modern American history](https://ballotpedia.org/Redistricting_ahead_of_the_2026_elections). Eight states have already redrawn congressional maps since Trump urged Republicans to gerrymander after taking office in 2025. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah have enacted GOP-leaning maps, while Florida's legislature approved a map hours after the Supreme Court decision.

Democrats are also exploring additional gerrymandering. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated she would work with the legislature to change the state's redistricting process, and Alabama Democrat Rep. Terri Sewell suggested she would support additional Democratic gerrymanders. "If it's urging red states to totally take away all of the Democratic seats and be totally red, it also encourages blue states to do exactly the same," Sewell said.

The timing is crucial. Republicans hold a narrow 218-213 House majority with four vacancies. Historically, the party controlling the White House loses seats in midterm elections, raising Democratic hopes of retaking the chamber. [Republicans could potentially net up to 18 new House seats through gerrymanders authorized by the Supreme Court decision](https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/with-green-light-from-supreme-court-heres-where-the-gop-can-gerrymander-before-the-midterms/), though not all proposed redistricting efforts will succeed.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/trump-us-house-speaker-prod-gop-states-to-gerrymander-after-voting-rights-ruling/)
- [Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf)
- [House Speaker Mike Johnson comments to CNN](https://x.com/mkraju/status/2049859366480654341?s=20)
- [Ballotpedia redistricting tracker](https://ballotpedia.org/Redistricting_ahead_of_the_2026_elections)
- [Democracy Docket analysis of potential GOP gains](https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/with-green-light-from-supreme-court-heres-where-the-gop-can-gerrymander-before-the-midterms/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/trump-us-house-speaker-prod-gop-states-to-gerrymander-after-voting-rights-ruling/.