Louisiana's Republican-controlled state senate voted 27-10 on Thursday to approve a congressional redistricting plan that would dismantle one of the state's two majority-Black House districts, potentially cementing a 5-1 GOP advantage in the delegation.
The move follows a recent Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v Callais that substantially weakened the Voting Rights Act. The ruling has already triggered similar special legislative sessions across the South as Republican-led states rush to redraw maps that curtail Black voter influence.
The new map closely mirrors one used in 2022 that produced the same 5-1 Republican outcome. The centerpiece of the change involves District 6, currently held by Democrat Cleo Fields. Under the existing arrangement, that district stretches nearly 250 miles from Baton Rouge and Lafayette north through Alexandria to Shreveport. The redrawn version collapses the district around white suburban areas outside Baton Rouge and southern Louisiana, stripping away its Black majority character.
District 2, represented by Democrat Troy Carter, would retain its Black majority under the plan and cover New Orleans extending into parts of Baton Rouge. That district is expected to remain Democratic-leaning.
Republican state senator Jay Morris, who authored Senate Bill 121, defended the districts during floor debate. Democratic senator Sidney Barthelemy II countered that the redrawing amounts to race-based districting by another name.
"I would argue that if 80% of the Republican party is white, that is a predominant factor," Barthelemy said. "If the numbers bear out that the party is predominantly white, and you're redistricting an area based on the party, then the two collide, and now you are redistricting based on race."
Democratic senator Royce Duplessis expressed frustration at the legislative powerlessness Democrats face. "You can't bring a map like this, that's gonna reduce representation, and think we're just supposed to take it," he said. "You think I'm supposed to be cool about? You think I'm supposed to be calm about it? I don't think so."
Democrats hold no viable leverage. Republicans command supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, making Democratic opposition symbolic rather than obstructive.
The bill now heads to the state house. If it passes, lawmakers must finalize a new map by June 1. Meanwhile, the legislature has already approved moving House elections to an open primary scheduled for November 3, when all candidates regardless of party affiliation will appear on the same ballot.
Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, suspended ongoing state house primary elections this week despite 45,000 absentee ballots already cast, a dramatic step that had not occurred during previous national crises.
Author James Rodriguez: "The speed and scale of this redistricting push exposes how a single court decision can instantly unlock a playbook states have been waiting to execute."
Comments