If we ever got fair maps should VRA districts be abolished?

[If my soul was made of stone]

Compactness shouldn't be the be-all end-all of redistricting. Preserving communities is very important even when race isn't involved, and the VRA requirements do serve a purpose in giving more of a direct voice to minority groups that would otherwise often be lost in the shuffle among a broader demographic slice. Plenty of majority-minority districts that aren't particularly ugly can be drawn either way.

I agree with you that sometimes the current interpretation of the VRA promotes uncompetitiveness, but that can be fixed without scrapping the entire enterprise.