Global Courant
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared a case involving the Louisiana House map, with review by a lower court ahead of the 2024 election. That raises the possibility that lawmakers will have to draw a second majority-black district in a state where black people make up a third of the population.
The order by the Supreme Court comes just a few weeks after it ruled in a separate 5-4 ruling that Alabama’s current House map pools too many black voters in just one congressional district, diluting their power relative to their share of the population and overturning the Voting Rights Act is violated (VRA).
More than a quarter of Alabama’s residents are black.
Monday’s decision directs the legal battle in Louisiana to proceed before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals before next year’s congressional races.
A district judge originally ruled that the Louisiana House map — which passed the Republican-controlled state legislature over Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto power — violated the VRA and ordered lawmakers to create a second majority-black district, out of six total districts.
The state’s top election official, Republican Kyle Ardoin, appealed the district judge’s ruling. Louisiana Republicans have disputed diluting black voter power.
Louisiana Deputy Attorney General Angelique Freel said Monday the state will continue to argue for its original cards: “Our job is to defend what the legislature has passed, and we trust the 5th Circuit to see the merits will judge in accordance with the law.”
Ardoin’s office declined to comment to ABC News because the case is pending.
The Supreme Court is seen on April 21, 2023 in Washington, DC
Alex Brandon/AP, DOSSIER
While the 5th Circuit is considered conservative and may not rule as favorably as the district court, Democrats applauded the Supreme Court’s order, touting it as a victory for “fair representation” in Congress.
“Today’s Supreme Court order means the people of Louisiana have moved one step closer to fair representation in Congress that better reflects the diversity of the state and reaffirms that black voters’ votes matter,” Washington Rep. . Suzan DelBene, the campaign chair of the House Democrats arm, said in a statement.
The governor repeated that.
“Louisiana can and should have a congressional map that represents our voting population, which is one-third black. As I’ve consistently said, this is about simple math, basic fairness and the rule of law,” Edwards said in a statement. “I am confident that we will have a fair card in the near future.”
The Supreme Court decisions on state congressional maps come as Democrats gear up for a concerted effort to retake the House in 2024, after Republicans secured a five-seat majority in the chamber in the 2022 midterm elections.
Outside of Alabama and Louisiana, where Democrats now see opportunities to win races in new black districts, Democrats are also bullish on congressional ticket wins in Georgia and one in South Carolina that targets the 14th and 15th Amendments , instead of the VRA, but will not be heard until the next term of the Supreme Court.
New York Democrats, who dominate state government there, also hope to redraw their own maps before the 2024 cycle.
“It feels great on a Democratic level that people are not going to be silenced,” a House Democratic strategist told ABC News after the Alabama ruling earlier this month. “On the other hand, you can’t help but be happy electorally. It’s always good to know that you’re going to get more seats at the end of the day.”
