The Supreme Court has announced that it will address a redistricting case concerning Louisiana's congressional map, specifically focusing on two predominantly Black districts. The court's decision to take up this case comes as the 2024 elections are already underway under the disputed map, potentially impacting the balance of power in the closely-divided House of Representatives.
Following a lower court's invalidation of the map, the Supreme Court permitted its use in the 2024 elections after an emergency appeal from the state and civil rights groups. The central issue before the justices revolves around whether Louisiana excessively relied on race in the creation of a second majority Black district.
This development marks the latest chapter in a prolonged legal battle over Louisiana's congressional districts, spanning over two years. Despite the state's Republican-controlled legislature redrawing the map in 2022 to accommodate population shifts from the 2020 Census, the resulting changes maintained the status quo of five Republican-leaning majority white districts and one Democratic-leaning majority Black district in a state where approximately one-third of the population is Black.
Civil rights advocates contested the map in federal court, arguing that it discriminated against Black voters. While a federal judge ruled in their favor, the Supreme Court intervened, temporarily halting the ruling pending a similar case from Alabama. Ultimately, the high court upheld the ruling in Alabama, prompting the expectation of new maps for the 2024 elections in Louisiana.
Lawmakers in Louisiana were given a deadline by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to draw a new map by early 2024 or face the possibility of a court-imposed map. Governor Jeff Landry, previously a defender of the existing map, urged legislators to pass a new map with an additional majority Black district during a special session in January.
Despite efforts to address concerns of racial bias, a group of non-African American plaintiffs challenged the new map, alleging it was also unlawfully influenced by race. A divided panel of federal judges ruled in their favor, but the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to allow the map's use, with dissenting votes from liberal justices who cited the feasibility of implementing a new map well ahead of the election.
The current congressional map has been defended by some as politically motivated rather than racially driven, ensuring safe districts for prominent Republican figures. Notably, Democratic state Senator Cleo Fields, a former congressman who is Black, is among the candidates in the newly created district.
