Current:Home > FinanceA lawsuit seeks to block Louisiana’s new congressional map that has 2nd mostly Black district -Streamline Finance
A lawsuit seeks to block Louisiana’s new congressional map that has 2nd mostly Black district
View
Date:2025-04-13 07:01:00
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Louisiana Legislature’s redrawn congressional map giving the state a second mostly Black district is being challenged by 12 self-described “non-African American” voters in a new lawsuit.
The challenge filed Wednesday and assigned to a judge in Lafayette says the map, which Republican lawmakers agreed to as a result of a 2022 federal lawsuit filed in Baton Rouge, is the result of “textbook racial gerrymandering.”
It seeks an order blocking the map’s use in this year’s election and the appointment of a three-judge panel to oversee the case.
At least one person, state Sen. Cleo Fields, a Black Democrat from Baton Rouge, has already said he will be a candidate in the new district. It is not clear how the lawsuit will affect that district or the 2022 litigation, which is still ongoing.
New government district boundary lines are redrawn by legislatures every 10 years to account for population shifts reflected in census data. Louisiana’s Legislature drew a new map in 2022 that was challenged by voting rights advocates because only one of six U.S. House maps was majority Black, even though the state population is roughly one-third Black. A veto of the map by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, was overridden.
In June 2022, Baton Rouge-based U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick issued an injunction against the map, saying challengers would likely win their suit claiming it violated the Voting Rights Act. As the case was appealed, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unexpected ruling in June that favored Black voters in a congressional redistricting case in Alabama.
In November, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave the state a January deadline for drawing a new congressional district.
Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who succeeded Edwards in January, was the state’s attorney general and was among GOP leaders who had opposed Dick’s rulings. But he called a special session to redraw the map, saying the Legislature should do it rather than a federal judge.
The bill he backed links Shreveport in the northwest to parts of the Baton Rouge area in the southeast, creating a second majority-Black district while also imperiling the reelection chances of Rep. Garrett Graves, a Republican who supported an opponent of Landry’s in the governor’s race.
Landry’s office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Although the new lawsuit names the state’s top election official, Secretary of State Nancy Landry, as the defendant, it was filed in Louisiana’s western federal district. The suit said it was proper to file there because voters “suffered a violation of their rights under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments in this district.”
Most of the judges in the Western District were nominated to the bench by Republicans. The assigned judge, David Joseph, was appointed by former President Donald Trump.
veryGood! (22216)
Related
- 3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
- How Zach Edey, Purdue men's hoops star, is overcoming immigration law to benefit from NIL
- Polish far-right lawmaker extinguishes Hanukkah candle in parliament
- These pros help keep ailing, aging loved ones safe — but it's a costly service
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- FDNY reports no victims in Bronx partial building collapse
- Whitmer’s fight for abortion rights helped turn Michigan blue. She’s eyeing national impact now
- Dinosaur head found in U.K., and experts say it's one of the most complete pliosaur skulls ever unearthed
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- 'The Iron Claw' review: Zac Efron is ripped and terrific in the wrestling true story
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Sophia Bush Shares Insight Into Grant Hughes Divorce Journey
- Children of jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi accept Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf
- DoorDash, Uber Eats to move tipping prompt to after food is delivered in New York City
- Eva Mendes Shares Message of Gratitude to Olympics for Keeping Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids Private
- Brandon Aubrey, kicker for the Cowboys, hasn't missed a field goal. Maybe he should.
- A Jordanian soldier is killed in a clash with drug smugglers along the border with Syria
- Milestone in recovery from historic Maui wildfire
Recommendation
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Wrongfully convicted Minnesota man set free after nearly 2 decades in prison
Shohei Ohtani’s massive $700 million deal with Dodgers defers $680 million for 10 years
DoorDash, Uber Eats to move tipping prompt to after food is delivered in New York City
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Katie Lee Biegel's Gift Guide Will Help You & Loved Ones Savor The Holiday Season
Thousands rally in Slovakia to condemn the new government’s plan to close top prosecutors’ office
Passengers lodge in military barracks after Amsterdam to Detroit flight is forced to land in Canada