WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court is mainly ruling for African-Americans in Virginia who say lawmakers packed 12 legislative districts with black voters to make other districts whiter and more Republican.
The justices said Wednesday that a lower court that upheld the 12 districts used the wrong legal standard when it determined that race did not play too large a role in creating the districts.
African-Americans made up at least 55 percent of eligible voters in each district.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion that the three-judge federal court should re-examine the case and figure out whether the 55 percent figure was necessary so that minority voters in each district could elect a candidate of their choice.
Kennedy said the lower court correctly analyzed one of the 12 districts.