A divided U.S. Supreme Court reinstated a Republican-drawn congressional map in Louisiana for this year’s election, blocking a trial judge’s order that required a second majority-Black voting district.
Over the dissents of the three liberal justices, the court granted a request by state officials who sought intervention on an emergency basis. The majority gave no explanation.
U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick said the federal Voting Rights Act required Louisiana, which is 33% Black and has six congressional districts, to create a second majority-Black district for the U.S. House. Dick said in her June 6 order that the state, which doesn’t hold a primary, “has sufficient time to implement a new congressional map without the risk of chaos.”
