Following the ruling, Louisiana officials announced they would delay congressional primaries that were due to begin next month. The Supreme Court found the state’s map to be an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander”. Republicans are already pushing for last-minute changes in other states as well, including Tennessee and potentially Alabama.

Experts warn that redrawing district boundaries and shifting primary dates just months before November’s elections will create a host of problems for candidates, election officials, and voters—especially at a time of declining trust in elections.

“This will also affect how people view democracy—not as something deriving from the authority of voters, but more as one big game to be manipulated,” said former Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican who challenged claims of election fraud in his county.

Conservatives welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision on Louisiana. The state had previously been required to create two majority-Black districts, but the ruling now effectively makes it harder for states to take race into account when drawing maps.

The country was already locked in a battle over redistricting between the two parties. Republican-led states—including Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina—have redrawn House maps ahead of the midterms at the urging of Donald Trump and national party leadership. In response, Democrats have approved new maps in California and Virginia to offset Republican gains.

In several states, legal challenges are still ongoing, and it remains unclear whether new district boundaries will be finalised before the midterms. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Louisiana has sharply accelerated Republican efforts. Some party figures immediately called on other states under their control to urgently review maps and primary dates where possible.

“I had a very good conversation this morning with Tennessee governor Bill Lee, who said he will work diligently to correct the unconstitutional flaw in the congressional map of the great state of Tennessee,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The next day, Lee called a special session starting Tuesday to review the congressional map. “After consulting with the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House, the attorney general, and the secretary of state, I believe the General Assembly has a duty to review the map and ensure it remains fair, lawful, and defensible,” he said.

Tennessee’s congressional delegation currently consists of eight Republicans and one Democrat. The sole Democrat is Steve Cohen, who represents a district centred on Memphis.

According to William Lyons of the Institute for American Civics at the University of Tennessee, state law prohibits redistricting mid-decade. That restriction would first have to be removed before lawmakers could alter the map. He noted that this “does not necessarily slow the process, but turns it into a two-step one”.

In Alabama, governor Kay Ivey has called a special session to consider holding off-cycle congressional primaries. At the same time, state authorities hope the Supreme Court will allow them to revise district boundaries following the Louisiana ruling. Alabama currently has two majority-Black districts, created earlier under court orders.

“Because the lower court injunction cannot stand in light of the Supreme Court’s decision, we have asked the court to lift it. Alabama deserves the right to use its own maps like any other state,” said Alabama attorney general Steve Marshall.

Not all southern states are rushing to follow suit. Georgia governor Brian Kemp said the state would not change its maps before November, though he acknowledged it would likely need to do so ahead of the 2028 elections.

“The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais restores fairness to the redistricting process and allows states to enact maps that reflect the will of voters, not federal judges,” Kemp said. “Voting for the 2026 elections has already begun, but it is clear that the Callais decision will require Georgia to adopt new maps before the 2028 cycle.”

Democrats, for their part, are also signalling that they are considering changes to maps or to the rules governing how they are drawn. New York governor Kathy Hochul said on X that she is discussing redistricting reforms with the state legislature.

Primaries have already begun in several states, while Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Nebraska are set to vote in the coming weeks. The Supreme Court has previously indicated that election rules should not be changed too close to voting day, but it has not issued a separate clarification on this point in the Louisiana case.

For Louisiana and other states attempting to redraw maps before the midterms, the consequences could be extensive: costly preparations for new elections, reconfiguration of voting systems, verification of candidates’ eligibility in new districts, and informing voters where and for whom they should vote.

Former Pennsylvania secretary of state Kathy Boockvar, a Democrat who oversaw the 2020 election, noted that redistricting affects even the most practical details, including recruiting qualified poll workers.

“Even under normal circumstances, it is very, very difficult to make decisions about polling places and staffing. Now we will have to change everything, rethink it, find new people,” she said.

She also pointed to the financial strain of preparing elections on short notice, stressing that election offices are already “underfunded, understaffed, and overworked”.

The changes may also confuse voters. In Louisiana, the state is already being forced to implement new rules, including shifting some races—such as US Senate elections—from open to closed primaries.

“Changing districts in an election year is a terrible idea,” said former Washington secretary of state Sam Reed, a Republican.

Research shows that public trust in US elections has been declining for several years, particularly after Trump challenged the 2020 results and cast doubt on mail-in voting, even though he used it himself. A February poll by the Center for Secure and Modern Elections at the University of California, San Diego, found that six in ten respondents trust that their votes will be counted accurately in November.

“I know how fragile this system is—from the perspective of those who run elections, and from the perspective of voters, their trust in the system, and their belief in its integrity,” Reed said.

However, some Republicans argue that failing to redraw maps immediately would itself undermine voter trust. “The best way to stop racial discrimination is to stop discriminating on the basis of race. Here in Louisiana, we are proud to lead that fight,” one wrote on X. “Holding elections under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters.”