The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which currently has a record 58 members in the House of Representatives, is preparing for the possibility of significant losses following a recent Supreme Court ruling on congressional redistricting.

CBC Chair Yvette Clarke of New York said that, in a worst-case scenario, up to 19 caucus members could be affected as states redraw congressional maps. The ruling narrowed the use of the Voting Rights Act in challenges to electoral district boundaries, potentially allowing states to eliminate some majority-Black congressional districts.

“This is a major setback,” Clarke said, adding that the caucus is developing legal, political, and voter outreach strategies to respond.

Several Black lawmakers in Southern states may be affected as Republican-led legislatures redraw district boundaries. Among those potentially impacted are Representatives Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Shomari Figures of Alabama, Don Davis of North Carolina, Emmanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Al Green and Marc Veasey of Texas, and James Clyburn of South Carolina.

Democrats and civil rights groups argue that the ruling weakens protections for minority voting power and could reduce Black representation in Congress. The NAACP and CBC leaders have compared the changes to historic voting-rights struggles and are encouraging voter mobilization ahead of the upcoming elections.

Republicans, however, maintain that the court’s decision addresses unconstitutional race-based districting and restores limits on how race can be used when drawing congressional maps. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise argued that previous Democratic-backed maps had gone too far in emphasizing racial considerations.

The CBC plans to focus heavily on voter turnout efforts and support legal challenges where possible. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has pledged to organize opposition to redistricting plans that Democrats believe unfairly target minority communities.

At the same time, Black representation among Republicans may also decline. All four Black Republican members of the House are either retiring or seeking higher office, raising the possibility that the next Congress could have no Black Republican representatives.

The debate over redistricting is expected to remain a major political issue leading into the midterm elections, with both parties arguing that the outcome could have long-term consequences for representation and voting rights in the United States.