A recent decision by a three-judge panel has thrust Louisiana’s congressional redistricting efforts into limbo, rejecting a map that would have established a second majority-Black House district in the state. The 2-1 ruling inhibits the use of a map designed in January by the Legislature after a previous map from 2022, which sustained a single Black-majority district, was blocked by a different federal judge.
The implications of the panel’s decision are considerable, casting uncertainty over district boundaries as Louisiana prepares for fall congressional elections. With a May 15th deadline for finalizing district boundaries, there’s a pressing need for resolution before the sign-up period for fall elections begins in mid-July.
This most recent map was the subject of a lawsuit filed by 12 non-African American voters who contended that the new district configurations amounted to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering that discriminated against white voters. The majority opinion, penned by U.S. District Judges David Joseph and Robert Summerhays, both nominated by former President Donald Trump, held that the map indeed reflected an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
Yet the map’s supporters have asserted that political considerations, not race, were the primary forces behind the map’s contours, which connected Black populations across disparate regions of the state. They maintain that the design was in compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act. Under the rejected map, five incumbents—four white Republicans and one Black Democrat—would maintain their current, secure districts.
One noteworthy shift in the new map involved Rep. Garret Graves, a white Republican, whose Baton Rouge district would transform from a majority-white and Republican demographic to majority-Black and Democratic. This, according to supporters, emphasizes that political motives, possibly stemming from Graves’ support for a rival of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in the last governor’s race, were at the heart of the new district lines.
As the state grapples with the ruling, an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court appears likely. Such an appeal would need to be expedited given the looming electoral deadlines.
This ruling is the latest twist in an ongoing and intricate legal battle over redistricting in Louisiana, a process that unfolds every ten years to reflect shifts in census data. The state’s Republican-dominated Legislature had originally drawn a new map in 2022 that was vetoed by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.
Relevant articles:
– US judges have rejected a map that would have given Louisiana a new majority-Black House district, apnews.com, 05/01/2024
– Judges Reject Map That Would Have Given Louisiana New Majority-Black House District, HuffPost, 04/30/2024
– Judges reject Louisiana congressional map that would have given state new majority, Washington Examiner, 05/01/2024
– Federal appellate court rejects Louisiana’s newly drawn congressional district map, FOX 8 Local First, 04/30/2024
– Black House district after judges reject it – KION546, KION, 04/30/2024