An appeals court ruling Friday requires the Louisiana Legislature to enact a new congressional map by Jan. 15 after a lower court ruled that current boundaries weaken the power of black voters in the state. It was decided that there was.
The order by a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals was announced Friday. throw it away The 2022 ruling is the latest in the state’s redistricting battle and could determine which party controls the state Legislature after the 2024 election.
the command said “The district court’s 2022 preliminary injunction, issued due to the urgency of drawing maps for the 2022 election, is no longer necessary.”
The opinion revealed that uncertainty remains about how external factors will affect the development of the case ahead of January 15th. Current Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards may call a special legislative session to redraw the boundaries, but Republican Gov.-elect Jeff Landry may also do so. A special redistricting meeting will be held within days of his inauguration on January 8th.
If Congress doesn’t take up the plan and draw new maps, the lower districts could go to court.
The court argued that “post-census redistricting is a typical state obligation, so the opportunity to adopt a new plan is appropriate.”
Bel Edwards previously vetoed the state’s Republican-controlled state’s new congressional map. Bel Edwards said he believes the map does not accurately reflect the makeup of Louisiana, where nearly 33 percent of residents are black.
The proposed district would leave only one of the state’s six districts with a majority black population.
The previous map was blocked by a federal district court preliminary ruling in favor of a group of black voters who argued the map’s design violated the Voting Rights Act.
The state Legislature overrode Bel Edwards’ veto, marking the first time in nearly 30 years that a governor has not vetoed a bill passed by lawmakers.
Republicans argued that the map was fair and that the state’s black population was too spread out across the state to justify creating a second district.
District courts must consider whether the new plan complies with the Voting Rights Act or whether another preliminary injunction is needed, the appeals court argued Friday.
The court argued they chose the Jan. 15 deadline to “allow newly elected officials to play an effective role in the process.”
The Associated Press contributed.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
