Supreme Court Orders New Look at Virginia Voting District Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court told a lower court to reconsider whether Virginia lawmakers unconstitutionally packed racial minorities into a handful of state legislative districts in order to reduce their influence elsewhere.

The lower court had upheld 12 Republican-backed legislative districts, all designed to have a voting-age population at least 55 percent black.

Writing for the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy said 11 of those districts required tougher scrutiny. Black voters challenged the districts.