Louisiana v. Callais · ¶73

Properly understood, § 2 thus does not intrude on States' prerogative to draw districts based on nonracial factors. “Redistricting constitutes a traditional domain of state legislative authority.” Alexander, 602 U. S., at 7. The Constitution imposes some important restrictions on the States' exercise of this power, but they are otherwise free to draw districts as they please. We have held that they may use traditional districting factors such as “compactness, contiguity,” “maintaining the integrity of political subdivisions, preserving the core of existing districts,” and protecting incumbents. Bush, 517 U. S., at 964; Miller, 515 U. S., at 906, 916. Nothing in the Constitution requires States to heed these criteria, of course, and the desirability of some of these criteria might be disputed. But because they are not forbidden by the Constitution, it is up to each State to decide what…

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