Washington DC, USA – United States Supreme Court Building (Adobe Stock). Img source: democracydocket.com
May 1, 2024 Story by: Publisher
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Black voters are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to scrutinize the recent decision by two federal judges appointed during the Trump administration, which halted the implementation of Louisiana’s new congressional map featuring two majority-Black districts.
The appeal arises from a legal challenge filed by “non-African American voters” against Louisiana’s congressional map, which had been updated earlier this year following a lawsuit initiated by Black voters.
Upon the implementation of the new map in January, a group identifying as non-African American voters launched their own legal action contesting the revised boundaries.
In their appeal to the Supreme Court, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Black voters contend that the federal panel failed to adhere to proper procedural standards and excluded input from Black voters who initially contested the state’s map.
Yesterday, in a split 2-1 decision, a federal three-judge panel, comprising one Clinton appointee and two Trump appointees, invalidated Louisiana’s congressional map, deeming it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. This ruling marks another setback in Louisiana’s quest for a fair congressional map, which commenced in 2022.
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the decision, denouncing it as “shameful” and warning of its potential threat to Louisianians’ voting rights.
In 2023, Louisiana was mandated to establish a map with two majority-Black districts after courts ruled that the state’s initial map, featuring only one such district, violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The state eventually adopted a plan in January 2024, significantly increasing the Black representation in the 6th Congressional District.
Following the enactment of the new map, individuals identifying as “non-African American” swiftly initiated legal proceedings, alleging racial gerrymandering and seeking to impede its use in the upcoming elections. The panel’s ruling yesterday deemed the newly proposed districts, aimed at better reflecting the state’s Black population, as racially gerrymandered.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill emphasized the state’s urgency to establish a map by May 15, stating intentions to pursue Supreme Court review. She criticized the current legal landscape, highlighting the reliance on federal judges for map drawing as unjust.
Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern underscored the potential ramifications of a Supreme Court review, suggesting that the judges striking down the map may be pushing for a ruling deeming the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional, a move characterized as “extremely cynical and partisan gamesmanship.”
