MocoBizScene – Louisiana lawmakers have been given an extended deadline until the end of January to create and approve new congressional districts. This comes as a result of a federal judge ruling that the current map unfairly diminishes the influence of Black voters, therefore violating the Voting Rights Act.
Despite the ongoing speculation, there are still a number of unanswered questions surrounding the situation. One of the key uncertainties is whether the Republican-controlled Legislature will reconvene at the Capitol, and if so, when this will happen. Furthermore, the ultimate question remains: will lawmakers be able to reach a consensus on a new map?
U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, based in Baton Rouge, has granted an additional two-week extension to lawmakers for the creation of a congressional map. The American Civil Liberties Union has confirmed this news to The Associated Press. The deadline for redistricting has now been moved to January 30th.
The ACLU is representing the plaintiffs.
Outgoing Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards has made it clear that he does not intend to summon lawmakers back to Baton Rouge in order to create a new map. However, this extension will provide an opportunity for the incoming Republican Governor-elect, Jeff Landry, to convene a special redistricting session after his inauguration on January 8th, as he had previously promised.
The Advocate reported that the outgoing Senate President and House Speaker have the authority to call for a special session if they have the backing of the majority of legislators. However, the current chamber leaders have expressed little enthusiasm for this option, suggesting that it might be more appropriate for the incoming lawmakers to handle the task.
Louisiana, along with several other states, is currently grappling with the issue of congressional districts following a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in June. This ruling stated that Alabama had violated the Voting Rights Act.
Louisiana’s currently used GOP-drawn map, which was utilized in the congressional election held in November, shows that white majorities exist in five out of six districts, even though Black individuals make up one-third of the state’s population.
Democrats assert that the map is discriminatory towards Black voters and advocate for the establishment of two majority-minority districts. On the other hand, Republicans contend that the map is impartial and assert that the Black population in the state is too scattered to create a second majority Black district.
Currently, Republicans hold five out of the six districts, while Democrats have the opportunity to secure a second congressional seat through another predominantly Black district.
The congressional map has been a subject of intense political and legal dispute for over a year and a half. This has included Governor Edwards vetoing the proposed political boundaries and the Legislature successfully overriding his veto, marking the first time in almost three decades that a governor’s veto has been overridden.
In June 2022, Louisiana’s map was invalidated by Dick for violating the Voting Rights Act. In her ruling, Dick emphasized the substantial evidence of Louisiana’s persistent history of voting-related discrimination, which strongly favored the Plaintiffs. As a result, Dick, who Barack Obama appointed, mandated a redrawing of the map to incorporate an additional majority-Black district. A federal appeals court in New Orleans would then review this revised map.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth District set the deadline for completing the new map as January 15. The court’s order granted Dick the authority to extend the deadline if requested, but only for a limited period of time.
Landry had previously made a commitment to hold a special session, but due to the initial deadline, it wouldn’t have been possible. This is because Landry’s inauguration is scheduled for January 8th, and the session can only commence seven days after that.
Suppose the Legislature fails to pass a new map within the extended deadline. In that case, the lower district court will be responsible for holding a trial and making a decision on the plan for the 2024 elections, as stated in the higher court’s order. The trial is set to commence on February 5th.
