The Decalogue Society of Lawyers adds their voices alongside those of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association and other Chicagoland bar associations in condemning the Supreme Court’s majority decision in Louisiana v. Callais.
The Decalogue Society, as the nation’s oldest Jewish bar association, committed to upholding the rule of law, recognizes that fair voting measures are a cornerstone of true democracy in this country. When states uphold methods of restricting the voting power of minority citizens, they are effectively restricting the voices of voters. In America, the Jewish community has a tradition of working alongside the Black community to strive for equal rights; in fact, the Voting Rights Act was partially drafted in the office of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Our intertwined histories give Jews in the legal community a special obligation to continue working to enforce civil rights.
The decision in Louisiana v. Callais not only affects the specific Black community in the underlying case but is already having ramifications in other states and communities as well. On May 7, 2026, Tennessee lawmakers passed a redistricting map of Memphis, a city with a particularly poignant history of civil rights, in a manner that dilutes minority voices. Not only is this unjust and likely racially motivated on its face, but like most such efforts, restricting the voices of one minority carries consequences for others. For example, the redistricting in Memphis is likely to have an effect on the campaign of Tennessee’s first Jewish Congressman Steve Cohen, who has held his seat since 2006.
This Jewish-American Heritage Month calls upon us to remember the deep roots our community has in upholding democratic ideals and to honor those roots by taking action to create a world where all voices are heard equally.