Federal Judges Strike Down Louisiana U.S. House Maps as Racial Gerrymander
The maps were newly redrawn during a January special session of the state legislature.
A federal court in Louisiana has blocked the state from using its new congressional map for this year’s elections. This is the latest twist in a long-running redistricting battle pertaining to representation of the state’s Black voters in its congressional delegation. The ruling today was issued by a 3-judge federal panel with a divided 2-1 vote.
The new district lines were drawn during a January special session of the Louisiana state legislature. Lawmakers were ordered to create a second district with a majority-Black population. The prior map was found by a court to violate the U.S. Constitution - specifically Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. After the new maps were enacted, all parties in the litigation opted not to further challenge the matter in court.
However, a new lawsuit was brought in the state by a group of self-described “non-African American” voters. They argued the new map was unconstitutional as it was racially gerrymandered. U.S. District Judges David Joseph and Robert Summerhays, both appointees of former President Donald Trump, wrote the majority opinion. They agreed that race was the predominate decision-maker in the creation of the district which contributed to its unusual shape.
Fifth Circuit Judge Carl Stewart, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote a dissenting opinion. Because the case was decided through a three-judge panel comprised of district and appellate judges, any appeals of the decision will go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court. The panel has ordered all sides to meet on May 6 to discuss what map will be used for this year’s elections in Louisiana.
While Louisiana has the last filing deadline in the country, Republican Secretary of State Nancy Landry has stated the state must finalize its congressional map for this year by May 15.
Using data from the 2020 census, Louisiana lawmakers originally crafted districts for the U.S. House of Representatives where only one had a majority of Black voters. The other five had white majorities despite the state population being a third Black. That original map was allowed to be used during the 2022 elections by the Supreme Court.
When the state legislature was ordered to create a second majority-Black district, lawmakers chose not to adapt any of the maps presented during the litigation. In order to file successful lawsuits claiming violations of the VRA, plaintiffs must provide maps showing how easily their arguments can be implemented. The state’s 2nd Congressional District has historically been based in New Orleans while stretching north to also cover several heavily Black neighborhoods in Baton Rouge. The plaintiffs argued and U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, agreed that New Orleans and Baton Rouge could occupy separate districts while producing majority-Black representation for voters.
The newly created 6th Congressional District passed during the special session this year would now stretch 250 miles to connect Black neighborhoods in Baton Rouge and Shreveport while also taking in the cities of Alexandria and Lafayette. If that district was allowed to stand, it would have likely elected a Black Democrat instead of continuing to be served by a White Republican. That flip would help the campaign of House Democrats to take back control of the lower legislative chamber of Congress. If the former lines are restored once more, than Black voters in Louisiana will go through two more years of having diminished representation in the federal government.