A federal court issued a ruling on Tuesday preventing Louisiana from implementing a congressional map that was recently signed into law, which aimed to add a second district with a majority Black population.
In a 2-1 decision, a panel of three judges found that Senate Bill 8, the legislation that authorized the redrawing of congressional districts in Louisiana, violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The ruling also indicated that the case is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court, potentially setting up another test of the Voting Rights Act.
After reviewing the evidence presented during the trial, along with the arguments from both sides and relevant legal principles, District Judges Robert R. Summerhays and David C. Joseph, appointed by former President Donald Trump, concluded that District 6 of SB8 did not comply with the Equal Protection Clause. As a result, the court prohibited the state from using this map in any future elections.
A hearing scheduled for May 6 will address the next steps in this legal process.
Paul Hurd, an attorney representing the voters who opposed the map, expressed gratitude for the court's ruling in favor of the plaintiffs. He emphasized the courage of the twelve individuals who challenged the new districting plan.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argued that the state had engaged in racial gerrymandering, violating civil rights protections under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments when it created a second majority-Black district to comply with an earlier court order. The Louisiana secretary of state's office has set a deadline of May 15 for finalizing the state’s congressional map for use in the upcoming elections.
Following the court's decision, Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, signed the new map into law in January, after a federal court had ruled in 2022 that the state legislature had unlawfully disenfranchised Black voters in its previous redistricting plan.
Despite Louisiana's population being nearly one-third Black, five of its six congressional districts are predominantly white.
The new map would reduce the Black voting-age population in Democratic Rep. Troy Carter’s district to 51%, while establishing a new 6th Congressional District as a narrow strip running from Shreveport to Baton Rouge, with a Black voting-age population of 53%. Carter criticized the ruling and called on the Supreme Court to intervene promptly.
In a dissenting opinion, Judge Carl E. Stewart highlighted the new map’s attempt to address concerns raised under the Voting Rights Act about the previous map.
Stewart, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, expressed concern that the majority's decision did not fully consider the historical context that led to SB 8, potentially setting a precedent for future redistricting challenges.
He argued that the new map was specifically designed to further the state’s compelling interests in complying with the Voting Rights Act’s protections against discriminatory voting practices and procedures.
The outcome of the legal battle over Louisiana's congressional map could have a significant impact on the November elections, as Republicans seek to maintain their narrow majority in the House of Representatives.