Black voters in Louisiana are at risk of having to vote again for a second majority-Black district after a federal court ruled it unconstitutional.
Black voters in Louisiana are at risk of having to vote again for a second majority-Black district after a federal court ruled it unconstitutional.
The federal court that struck down the most recent congressional map held a hearing on May 6 regarding the next steps. Officials argue that the continued legal battle over the map is putting them in a difficult position between the stipulations laid out in the Voting Rights Act, which gives power to minority voters, and the Constitution’s limits on how the government can step in to add race as a consideration.
Murrill says the next stop is the Supreme Court. Given the pattern of courts brushing off redistricting plans that are discriminatory against voters of color, voters will be looking closely at how the high court deals with the growing dispute. Sen. Cleo Fields, who is also running for the new 6th Congressional District, says the practices continue to move in different ways. “Right now, Louisiana has no map,” Fields said.
“The courts can’t say, ‘Comply with the law. You have the right to draw the lines,’ but then say, ‘We don’t like the way you complied with the law.’”
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, the state’s sole Black and Democratic member of Congress, also criticized the ruling on social media, calling it “plain wrong.” MATH is MATH! The U.S. Supreme Court must correct this immediately,” he tweeted.
State officials gave notice that lawmakers have until May 15 to announce how they will contour their ruling to prepare for upcoming elections. However, federal judges warned the state Legislature that a new map must pass by June 3, or the panel will create one on their behalf, according to The Associated Press. “To be clear, the fact that the Court is proceeding with the remedial phase of this case does not foreclose the Louisiana Legislature from exercising its ‘sovereign interest’ by drawing a legally compliant map,” the judges wrote.
Source: Black Enterprise
