The Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais has set off a redistricting race to the bottom. States, particularly in the South, are scrambling to redraw their maps to undercut Black representation — all in the name of partisanship.

It marks the end of a project, since the passage of the Voting Rights Act, to restrict the right to vote. And the frenzy that has ensued represents the worst of partisan impulses. 

Listen as Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, creator of the popular Substack The Long View, and author of the recent book In Defense of Partisanship, discusses how we got here — and how lessons from history can help us develop a more productive two-party system and a more equitable democracy. 

Check out The Long View here: https://julianzelizer.substack.com.

Check out In Defense of Partisanship here: https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/in-defense-of-partisanship.

Recorded on May 20, 2026.The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so that they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.