Supreme Court sends closely watched Native American voting rights decision back to lower court

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has acted in a Voting Rights Act case brought by Native American tribes, saying a closely watched ruling needs to be reconsidered after the high court weakened the Civil Rights-era law. The justices on Monday (May 18, 2026) ordered lower courts to take another look at the decision that went against the tribes and undercut a key enforcement mechanism: lawsuits from voters and advocacy groups. The justices, though, have already diluted enforcement power with their April decision that struck down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana and made future cases much harder to win.