A panel of three federal judges rejected a new congressional district map in Louisiana, creating uncertainty about district boundaries as the state gears up for fall congressional elections. The ruling, with a 2-1 vote, prohibits the use of a map proposed by the Legislature in January after a previous map from 2022 was blocked by a federal judge.
The earlier map maintained a single Black-majority district and five mostly white districts, despite Louisiana's population being about one-third Black. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is likely, leaving the November election map in limbo. State election officials need district boundaries by May 15, with the sign-up period for fall elections in mid-July.
The new map faced opposition from 12 non-African American voters who claimed it amounted to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering that discriminated against white voters. Supporters argued that political considerations, not race, influenced the map, which connects Black populations across different regions of the state while ensuring compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
The map secures safe districts for five incumbents, including one Black Democrat and four white Republicans. However, Rep. Garret Graves, a white Republican, sees his district shift from majority-white and Republican to majority-Black and Democratic.
The legal battle over redistricting in Louisiana stems from the state's Republican-dominated Legislature drawing a favorable map in 2022, which was vetoed by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards. A court challenge ensued, leading to the recent rejection of the new map by federal judges.
The rejection follows a series of legal maneuvers, including a U.S. District Judge's injunction against the 2022 map for likely violating the Voting Rights Act. The drawn-out process highlights the complexities of redistricting every decade to reflect population shifts.
The latest ruling underscores the challenges in balancing political and racial considerations in redistricting, with implications for representation and electoral outcomes in Louisiana.
