Supreme Court unfreezes Louisiana redistricting case that could boost Black voting power before 2024

By Kevin McGill, Mark Sherman and Sara Cline, AP News

The Supreme Court on Monday lifted its hold on a Louisiana political remap case, increasing the likelihood that the Republican-dominated state will have to redraw boundary lines to create a second mostly Black congressional district.

For more than a year, there has been a legal battle over the GOP-drawn political boundaries, with a federal judge, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and opponents saying that the map is unfair and discriminates against Black voters.

The map, which was used in Louisiana’s November congressional election, has white majorities in five of six districts, all currently held by Republicans. This is despite Black people accounting for one-third of the state’s population. Another mostly Black district could deliver another congressional seat to Democrats.

“I’m super excited,” said Ashley Shelton, head of the Louisiana-based Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, one of the groups challenging the maps. “What this does is it puts us back on track to realize a second majority-minority district.”

In a written statement, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus said, while work still needs to be done, it is “very confident” the state will have two majority-Black districts by the 2024 congressional election.

Read more about the Supreme Court case in the original article.

Learn more about modern-day segregation, directly connected to political district boundaries, in this virtual exhibit.

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