Panel of 3 Federal Judges rejects proposed state congressional map possibly sending it back to the U.S. Supreme Court

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The congressional map state lawmakers passed in 2020 had only one black-majority district out of six while the state’s population remains about one-third African American.

After months of litigation, Federal Judge Shelly Dick ordered lawmakers to create a new map including two majority-black districts. They managed to get one to Judge Dick in 2022, but that map was contested in court by opponents who argue it amounted to an unconstitutional gerrymander designed specifically with race in mind. The panel of three federal judges who oversaw this lawsuit agreed.

“The legislature and the governor say it was done for all kinds of reasons including race so, we’ll see how the Supreme Court rules,” said WAFB Political Analyst Jim Engster.

The whole situation has folks at the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office scrambling for answers as to how the districts will look by the time the November election comes around. They say they only have fourteen days to have the district boundaries set in place, and the qualifying period for the fall elections is in mid-July.

But those in support of the new map say race played no major role in its development. It cuts across diagonally linking African populations in parts of the Northwest, Central, and Southeast regions. They argue that design was necessary to remain in compliance with the Voting Rights Act.

“I think it’s gonna be quick, I think it’s gonna be easy for them (SCOTUS) to discern the truth, the facts, and they’re gonna rule. Rule sooner than later so we can get on with our elections in the state no matter how that is,” said Sen. Cleo Fields who announced he will be running for congress in Louisiana’s 6th district in November.

Amid the chaos, Governor Jeff Landry issued a statement, supporting the 2022 map, saying in part, “The constant inconsistency of the Federal Courts is remarkable and disappointing. The people of Louisiana deserve better from our Federal Courts. Either the Legislature is in control of drawing a map or Federal Courts are, but they can’t both be”.

“It’s a job that belongs entirely to legislators under the Federal Constitution, but it has become a job that is being performed by Federal Judges and that’s just not who’s supposed to draw the maps,” said State Attorney General Liz Murrill.

The latest legal challenge was filed in the Western district of the state in Shreveport which is dominated by Republican-appointed judges. Two of the three who took up the case were appointed by former President Donald Trump while the other was appointed by former President Bill Clinton. The state Attorney General says the U.S. Supreme Court could issue a temporary stay and allow the map with two minority district’s to be used in November. They could still come out later down the road and uphold the recent 3-judge ruling leaving the state with, yet again, only one minority district.

The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office says a remedial conference is scheduled for May 6th which is when we believe the state will go before SCOTUS to ask for that temporary stay.

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