Louisiana Passes New District Maps Amid Controversy

On Friday, Louisiana approved a new set of congressional maps aimed at addressing issues of systemic racism in one of its Democratic-majority districts.

This change comes after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a critical constitutional provision, leading Congress to redraw black-majority districts. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 sided with the Louisiana Republican Party and the Trump administration, obstructing a proposed map that would have established a second majority-black congressional district. The state Senate plans to forward the bill to Republican Governor Jeff Landry, who is anticipated to enact it.

In the newly drawn map, the district held by Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields has been completely removed, and Rep. Troy Carter’s district has undergone significant changes.

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, Governor Landry proclaimed a state of emergency and postponed May’s primary elections, aiming to finalize the bill ahead of the midterm elections in November. The House primary is scheduled for November 3rd, with runoff elections extending into December.

Louisiana Republican Rep. Clay Higgins criticized the new map, calling it “the worst map ever.” He expressed his frustrations, stating, “Wow. I’ve been quiet about this, but…this?…what the hell is this? This is the worst map I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a lot of them. It’s clear that this Frankenstein-like creation was put together in secret by a select few. No one should back this incredibly flawed plan. I’m 100% against the latest Louisiana House district proposal.”

Higgins took to Twitter to emphasize his disapproval, stating that no one should support such a poorly constructed map.

Other states, like Florida, are also in the process of redistricting before the midterm elections, which could potentially grant Republicans four additional seats in the House. Tennessee removed its only Democratic-majority district recently, prompting Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to opt out of re-election.

Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas’ redistricting plan in a ruling on April 27, which may result in an extra five seats for Republicans in the House. While Virginia voters narrowly approved a referendum beneficial to Democrats for 10 out of 11 districts, the Virginia Supreme Court deemed the referendum unconstitutional later in May.

Alabama Republicans had intended to utilize a 2023 congressional map containing only one Democratic-leaning district, but a recent ruling by a federal commission halted this plan, citing intentional discrimination against Black voters.