Louisiana passes new congressional map eliminating one majority-Black district
Louisiana lawmakers passed a new congressional redistricting map on Friday that eliminates one of the state's two majority-Black districts. The action came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April that the previous map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The new map is expected to give Republicans a five-to-one advantage in the state's congressional delegation, up from their current four-to-two advantage. Republican legislators say they focused on partisan advantage rather than race when drawing the districts. However, Democrats and voting rights advocates contend the map achieves partisan gains by concentrating Black voters into a single district. The map redraws Democratic Representative Cleo Fields' district with predominantly white communities, while preserving one majority-Black district. Legal challenges are expected.
Key facts
- Louisiana's new map changes the GOP advantage from 4-2 to 5-1 in congressional seats
- The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in April 2026 that the previous map with two majority-Black districts was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander
- The map passed the state Senate 28-10 along party lines and 27-10 in initial passage
- About one-third of Louisiana's population is Black
- The map redraws Democratic Representative Cleo Fields' district with predominantly white communities in the Baton Rouge area
- Louisiana postponed its May 16 primary to allow time for the new map to be implemented
How different outlets framed it
Left-leaning coverage: Left-leaning outlets stress that the map is racial gerrymandering masked as partisan redistricting. They argue that concentrating Black voters into a single district deliberately suppresses Black political power despite Republican claims of focusing on partisanship. The ACLU called it a racial gerrymander hiding behind partisan language, and voting rights experts warn the ruling weakened the Voting Rights Act.
Right-leaning coverage: Right-leaning outlets frame the decision as proper constitutional compliance. They argue the Supreme Court correctly rejected race-based redistricting and that legislators should focus on partisan advantage, which is legally permissible. Some note that plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case want Republicans to pursue an even more aggressive map eliminating both majority-Black districts.
Limits of this briefing
Additional legal challenges are expected from voting rights advocates and the plaintiffs who won the Supreme Court case. The analysis does not include perspectives from elected officials or formal Republican party statements beyond legislative debate; interviews with Republican legislators are limited to floor statements.
Sources
- NBC News: Louisiana passes new congressional map, dismantling one majority-Black district Centre
- NPR: Louisiana lawmakers pass a congressional map to dismantle a majority-Black district Centre
- Al Jazeera: Louisiana lawmakers pass congressional map favouring Republicans Left
- Yahoo News/Politico: Louisiana Republicans pass gerrymandered map that eliminates majority-Black district Left
- Washington Times: Louisiana enacts new congressional districts in a bid to give the GOP another seat Right