Louisiana’s Attempt to Create Second Majority-Black Congressional District Delayed
Lawyers for Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and other Republican leaders have successfully delayed the creation of a new second majority-Black congressional district in the state. An appeals court granted a writ of mandamus that canceled a hearing scheduled for October 3rd in Baton Rouge to discuss the creation of a new map. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals made this unusual move as the merits of the case are still being argued.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick stated that the state’s Republican Legislature violated the Voting Rights Act by not creating a congressional map with two majority-Black districts in a state where one-third of residents are Black. However, this ruling was put on hold last summer. Attorney General Landry, Republican Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, and Republican legislative leaders have been seeking to overturn the ruling. Their efforts were dealt a major blow when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Black voters in a similar case in Alabama, allowing the Louisiana case to move forward.
Judge Shelly Dick had scheduled a hearing for next week on the creation of a new map, while the 5th Circuit has another hearing scheduled for oral arguments on October 6 in New Orleans. The cancellation of the hearing delays the process of creating a new majority-Black district in Louisiana. It is widely expected, based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Alabama case, that such a district will eventually be implemented. However, the timing remains uncertain as subsequent appeals could prolong the process beyond the 2024 elections.
Louisiana currently has six congressional districts, with five of them being majority-White and represented by Republicans. The only majority-Black district is represented by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a Democrat from New Orleans. The case is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, and plaintiffs remain optimistic due to the court’s ruling in the Alabama case. The resolution of this case will determine whether the creation of a new majority-Black district in Louisiana occurs before the 2024 or 2026 elections.