Louisiana senate passes bill to eliminate one of two majority-Black congressional districts
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- The Louisiana state senate passed a new congressional map with a 27-10 vote that eliminates one of the state's two majority-Black House districts, potentially giving Republicans a 5-1 congressional majority.
- The new map drastically reshapes district 6, currently majority-Black and represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, by centering it around predominantly white suburban areas, while district 2 retains its Black majority and Democratic lean.
- The map follows the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v Callais, which weakened the Voting Rights Act and prompted several southern states to pass redistricting plans limiting Black voting power.
- Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, suspended ongoing house primary elections despite 45,000 absentee ballots already cast, an unprecedented move outside of major historical crises.
- Democratic lawmakers criticized the map as racially motivated and unfair, but Republicans hold supermajorities in the legislature, making it unlikely the new districts will be blocked before the June 1 deadline.