Court Blocks Louisiana Congressional Map With Black-Majority Second District

A federal court on Tuesday barred Louisiana from using a congressional map signed into law this year that was redrawn to include a second majority-black district.

In a 2-1 vote, the three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court in Monroe, Louisiana, concluded that Senate Bill 8, which provided for the redistricting of voting districts in the state, violated a provision of the 14th Amendment that guarantees equality protection provided for in the Constitution.

The case will likely end up at the Supreme Court in another test of the Voting Rights Act.

“Having considered the testimony and evidence at trial, counsel’s arguments, and applicable law, we conclude that SB8 District 6 violates the Equal Protection Clause,” District Judges Robert R. Summerhays and David C. Joseph, both appointed by former President Donald Trump, wrote in court opinion.

The justices said the state should not use the map “in any future elections.”

A hearing has been scheduled for May 6 to discuss next steps.

In a statement, Paul Hurd, attorney for voters opposing the map, expressed gratitude “that the Court ruled in favor of the twelve courageous Plaintiffs who challenged the new district plan.”

In your lawsuit Challenging the redistricting map, the plaintiffs argued that “the State engaged in classic racial gerrymandering” and that it violated civil rights protections under the 14th and 15th Amendments when it drew a second majority-black district to comply with an earlier court order.

The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office set May 15 as a deadline for finalizing the state’s parliamentary map for use in this year’s elections.

He declined to comment on Tuesday’s decision.

The map was redrawn and Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, signed it into law in January after a federal court ruled in 2022 that the Legislature had illegally disenfranchised Black voters in its previous redistricting plan.

Although Louisiana is 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 drawing a new 6th Congressional District as a narrow strip through the heart of the state, from Shreveport to Baton Rouge. The black voting age population in that district would be 53%.

Carter criticized Tuesday’s decision in X and urged the Supreme Court to “correct this immediately.”

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Carl E. Stewart pointed to the new map’s effort to address objections to the previous one raised under the Voting Rights Act.

“I am concerned that the panel’s majority decision does not adequately evaluate the history that led to SB 8 and, consequently, dooms us to repeat this cycle,” wrote Stewart, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton.

He added that the new map was “narrowly tailored to advance the State’s compelling interests” in adhering to the Voting Rights Act’s protections against discriminatory voting practices and procedures.

The outcome of the fight over the Louisiana map could have played a significant role in November when Republicans defend their narrow majority in the House.