news.cenet.topSupreme Court asks for new briefs in Louisiana redistricting case

Desmond Milligan · August 6

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Congressional seats are now back in the forefront of many people’s minds as more states push to alter existing maps.

Louisiana had a years-long legal battle over the creation of a second Black-majority district. The U.S. Supreme Court was scheduled to decide over the summer whether the map violated the Voting Rights Act, but pushed the decision to next term, saying additional questions need answering.

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“As the Court prepares to revisit this case, I’m reminded of what’s at stake: the right of every Louisianian—regardless of race—to have a voice in our democracy. The Voting Rights Act was designed to protect that right. It’s time we uphold it, not undermine it,” Congressman Troy Carter (D-LA) said after the Supreme Court decided to rehear the case.

On Friday, Aug. 1, the Supreme Court directed parties to file briefs on whether Louisiana’s creation of the second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments. Appellants are ordered to submit briefs by an Aug. 27 deadline.

Attorney General Liz Murrill defended the maps in March of this year, saying there’s “no question” Louisiana should prevail in the case.

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