Nearly two years after a federal judge ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map diluted Black voting power, Black voters are facing the possibility of voting in a second election under a plan that likely violates the Voting Rights Act. A recent ruling by a different federal court found that the state’s Republican legislature violated the Constitution by adding a second majority-African American district to the state’s six-district congressional plan. This has left the state without a congressional map just six months before the election and has sparked concerns about political gamesmanship and threats to the Voting Rights Act from critics on the left.
The legal battle over the congressional map in Louisiana could have significant implications for the upcoming US House elections, as the second majority-Black district is likely to vote for a Democrat. Louisiana officials are caught between the demands of the Voting Rights Act to empower minority voters and the limits of the Constitution on considering race in redistricting. The Supreme Court may need to clarify the legal landscape, despite its previous reaffirmation of supporting Black voters in a 5-4 decision. The parties involved will discuss the next steps in a virtual hearing, with Black voters likely seeking emergency intervention from the Supreme Court.
The ongoing turmoil in Louisiana reflects a trend of courts striking down redistricting plans as discriminatory against voters of color, only for those plans to remain in place due to procedural delays and legal maneuvering. How the Supreme Court handles this dispute will indicate the court’s tolerance for legal tactics that prolong the resolution of redistricting disputes that arise every decade after the census. Despite roughly a third of Louisiana’s population being Black, the state’s US House delegation has only one Black lawmaker, who is also the lone Democrat.
In the latest phase of the dispute, a three-judge panel sided with a group of non-African American voters who claimed their personal dignity was harmed by the new map with two Black-majority districts. The two Trump-appointed judges in the majority rejected the state’s arguments that the map was drawn for reasons other than race. The new district’s shape and division of cities and parishes along racial lines were criticized by the court as violating traditional redistricting principles. Supporters of the map argue that political decisions influenced state lawmakers and the governor to back the new lines in order to protect incumbents.
The ongoing court battle in Louisiana highlights how legal tactics and gamesmanship can undermine the protections of the Voting Rights Act. Efforts by non-Black voters to challenge the new map in a different federal court have raised questions of forum-shopping and further complicated the redistricting process. Critics have questioned why the legislature rejected proposals for more compact districts and disruptions to incumbent protection, emphasizing the need for resolution and fair representation for Black voters. The impasse prolongs uncertainty for candidates and Black Louisianians who deserve the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice to the US Congress.
