# Elena Kagan Warns Supreme Court Undermines Voting Rights > Supreme Court rulings risk polarizing voters ahead of midterms, says Elena Kagan. - Title: Elena Kagan Warns Supreme Court Undermines Voting Rights - Summary: Supreme Court rulings risk polarizing voters ahead of midterms, says Elena Kagan. Elena Kagan warns Supreme Court decisions have weakened voting rights and… - Keywords: elena kagan, supreme court, voting rights act, midterms, gerrymandering, rucho v common cause, louisiana v callais, trump v slaughter, congress, presidential power, Elena, Kagan - Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/10/21/ahead-of-the-midterms-elena-kagan-says-the-supreme-court-is-undermining-voting-rights - Author: Connor Greene - Published: 2026-10-21T20:59:15+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: elena kagan, supreme court, voting rights act, midterms, gerrymandering, rucho v common cause, louisiana v callais, trump v slaughter, congress, presidential power ## Elena Kagan's Warning Liberal Justice Elena Kagan accused Supreme Court's conservative majority of undermining democracy and creating a more polarized electorate ahead of midterms. > The court has kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effect of their rulings on how the political system works ## Key Rulings Impact Elections Kagan cited Louisiana v. Callais and Rucho v. Common Cause rulings that weakened voting rights and altered electoral maps. > The court has kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effect of their rulings on how the political system works ## Voting Rights Act Eviscerated Louisiana v. Callais ruling made it harder to challenge maps that weaken minority voters' influence, calling it an 'evisceration' of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. > Kagan called the ruling an 'evisceration' of the 1965 Voting Rights Act ## Gerrymandering Effects States like Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Florida adopted new congressional maps favoring Republicans and weakening Black voters' influence. > This gerrymandering strips people of 'their rights to voting equality' ## Campaign Finance Changes National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC ruling removed limits on political party spending in coordination with candidates. > The people of america look around this political system and think that all this money chasing all these political candidates is a nightmare ## Presidential Power Expansion Trump v. Slaughter ruling expanded presidential control over independent agencies and federal commissions. > The danger is it allows the president to ride roughshod over all the institutions of government ## Congressional Response Congress could enact laws to restrict partisan gerrymandering but faces legal challenges from the Supreme Court. > We'll see much more of that in the next few election cycles ## Long-Term Challenges Changes to Supreme Court composition or jurisdiction may take until 2029 to see meaningful impact on court decisions. > It could take until 2029 at the earliest for there to be a counteractive response ## What Happens Next Supreme Court rulings could further polarize voters and weaken voting rights ahead of midterms. > The outcome, she said, is contributing toward what's already a 'too-polarized country' ## Key takeaway Elena Kagan warns Supreme Court decisions have weakened voting rights and increased political polarization ahead of midterms.