Supreme Court rulings in recent years have ended key protections in the Voting Rights Act, potentially resulting in losses of representation for Black voters in southern states. Historian Gregory Downs said that these changes could be similar to the end of Reconstruction protections after the Civil War.

A recent decision in Virginia restores voting rights based on a law from 1870 that sought to prevent discrimination by the state. Legal briefs written by UC Davis experts provided the historical groundwork for that decision.

Today's battles over redistricting is purely political and part of a long tradition of partisan hardball dating back nearly to the nation’s founding. As happened in the past, the result of this national battle unfolding in state legislatures could have lasting impacts on our political future.