An NAACP lawyer made the case in arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court for why race-based congressional districts are necessary.
Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), said the quiet part out loud during oral arguments on the Louisiana v. Callais case on Wednesday, in a stunning remark that followed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson appearing to liken black voters to people with disabilities.
Arguing for a second majority-black district in Louisiana, Nelson cited a previous case, contending that “white Democrats were not voting for black candidates, whether they were Democrats or not.”
HOLY CRAP! NAACP lawyer came before the Supreme Court and said the quiet part out loud
Janai Nelson said we need race-based districts because: “white Democrats were not voting for black candidates whether they were Democrats or not!”
This is INSANE. pic.twitter.com/FvH68y8u8n
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 15, 2025
Many social media users expressed their shock over the statement, while others noted Nelson “should be embarrassed.”
I had to rewind and listen again to be sure I heard it correctly
— LisaontheWrite (@LisaontheWrite) October 15, 2025
Sounds a little racist..
— KᗴᒪᒪᗴY ✰ (@Patriotmom717) October 15, 2025
Racism is ok if the left does it evidently.
— Kazum Howell (@stefkule) October 15, 2025
… That’s not a legal argument: “People aren’t voting the way I want them to vote.”
The NAACP attorney should be embarrassed to make such a pathetic statement to the court.
— Colin Glassey – Author (@cglassey_author) October 15, 2025
“Our rigging isn’t working as well as we want!!!” is what I heard. Weird stance to take. Districting by race is clearly illegal.
— Dr. Haywood (@MaddestNachos) October 15, 2025
According to her LDF bio, Nelson is a “renowned scholar of voting rights and election law” and “continues to produce cutting-edge scholarship on domestic and comparative election law, race, and democratic theory.”
“Nelson was one of the lead counsel in Veasey v. Abbott (2018), a successful federal challenge to Texas’s voter ID law, and the lead architect of NUL v. Trump (2020), which sought to declare the Trump administration’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion training in the workplace unconstitutional before it was later rescinded,” the bio states.
Her social media posts reveal other facts about the lawyer.
This is the lawyer for the NAACP arguing in favor of the artificial creating majority black districts at the Supreme Court today saying she was “heartbroken” over the death of communist cop killer Assata Shakur. https://t.co/j4qxYOyFBI
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 15, 2025
Nelson’s remarks before SCOTUS continued to reverberate on X.
Oh my, what a waste of SOTUS’s time.
— Kevin (@KevinBurris) October 15, 2025
Why is she only focused on white Democrats & black candidates as the issue? Is this the only option? What about black Republican voters & black Republican candidates? That can be an option in the district too. The NAACP refuses to acknowledge black Republican constituents exist.
— “Mad” Anthony Wayne (@scottv470) October 15, 2025
I guess Obama wasn’t really elected.
— Blue Ridge Balrog (@FeastOnHisFlesh) October 15, 2025
Its almost as if they want segregation back.
— Damon (@R_nomaD_) October 15, 2025
“We have to be racist so the maps won’t be racist” is a bold argument.
— B Rob (@robisonbw) October 15, 2025
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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