Barry Edwards has written this article for American Politics Research. Here is the abstract:

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down a key component of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) closes one of the most successful chapters in the history of civil rights enforcement. Our country has changed since 1965 and it is an opportune time to examine current political conditions for minority voters. Based on analysis of congressional elections from 1960 to 2010, I assess the central holding of Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, and other controversial areas of VRA enforcement. My results support the Court’s finding that the Act’s historic coverage formula does not accurately reflect current political conditions. However, my results challenge prevailing views on two points. I conclude that uniform standards are problematic because redistricting guidelines that improve opportunities for African American voters are likely to diminish opportunities for Latino voters (and vice versa). In addition, requiring majority African American districts appears to diminish aggregate African American voting opportunities relative to targeting 45% to 50% African American districts.