A congressional map in Louisiana favoring Republicans was reinstated Thursday, a temporary victory for the GOP that will likely be appealed.
A Thursday night stay from a federal appeals court temporarily blocked a prior ruling that nixed a different map while ordering a new one crafted that contains an additional black-majority district. The appeals court decision did not opine on the merits of the lower court’s decision but simply imposed a stay while it evaluates the ruling. It is unclear when the temporary order is expected to be revisited.
COURT BLOCKS LOUISIANA CONGRESSIONAL MAP
Earlier in the week, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA) announced he would call on the Republican-led state legislature to host a special session to craft a new map in compliance with the lower court ruling that imposed a June 20 deadline. The stay on Thursday, which came from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, seemingly negates the need for a special session, though it remains unclear whether Edwards will continue to push for one.
On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana imposed an injunction as part of its ruling that plaintiffs seeking to scrap the state’s congressional map were likely to succeed on the merits. The plaintiffs argued the map, which hewed closely to the state’s existing congressional district lines, likely flouted the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of black voters in the state. Republicans quickly appealed the district court’s decision.
About one-third of the Bayou State is black, yet the state only had one district with a majority black population: the 2nd Congressional District, which is 62% black. Edwards had vetoed the map earlier this year, but the Republican-led state legislature overrode him in March.
The GOP wields power over five of the state’s six seats — or 83% of the state’s congressional delegation. For comparison, former President Donald Trump bested current President Joe Biden 58.4% to 39.8% in the 2020 election. If the state were to impose a new map that adheres to the district court orders, Republicans would likely lose one of those seats.
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In contrast to most states, Louisiana does not have a traditional primary system, and its de facto “primary elections” take place in November, giving the state breathing room to sort out its redistricting scrums. In the Bayou State, all candidates run on the same ballot, and the state uses runoff elections to determine a winner if no candidate secures a majority of votes in a given race. The opening date for congressional candidates to file is June 22.
With Louisiana’s congressional map back in effect, all states now have legally binding congressional maps ahead of the midterm elections. About a dozen states have litigation pending over their apportionment. Republicans appear poised to gain a net advantage of three to four congressional districts in the latest redistricting cycle, according to Dave Wasserman, a national elections analyst for the Cook Political Report.
