Updated Louisiana Congressional map

SHREVEPORT, La. - A newly drawn Louisiana congressional map is headed to the governor’s desk, but the controversial lines may ultimately find a home on a federal judge’s docket.

The Louisiana Legislature gave final approval Friday to Senate Bill 121, a map that eliminates one of the state's two majority-Black districts and divides several parishes.
 
The new boundaries create a 5-1 Republican advantage among the state's six U.S. House seats. The bill, authored by Republican Sen. Jay Morris of West Monroe, advanced out of committee on a 4-3 party-line vote over a competing proposal by Democratic Sen. Ed Price.
 
Price's bill, SB 407, sought to preserve a 4-2 split and keep minority communities whole.
 
Even Phillip Callais, the lead plaintiff who successfully challenged Louisiana's previous map before the U.S. Supreme Court, expressed dissatisfaction with the final product. Callais originally argued the state's 2024 map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, pointing to a sprawling 6th District that extended across the state to Baton Rouge.
 
Opponents argue the new map swaps one constitutional violation for another. The new lines cut through nine different parishes, splitting local communities.
 
"SB 121 seems to show intent to pack Black voters into a single district and minimize their participation in the other five districts," said Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport.
 
Jenkins backed Price's defeated SB 407 as a more balanced approach to meeting the Supreme Court's mandate.
 
"That created two crossover districts that did not lean upon race," Jenkins said. "Any candidate could have gotten into those races, worked real hard and won. I think that's what the Supreme Court was really looking to see come out of this process, but that's not what we have sent them. We just created another problem, in my opinion."
 
Before final passage, the House adopted amendments making minor geographical adjustments to the district boundaries. The tweaks appeared designed to protect the home bases of high-profile incumbents, including U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Congressman Clay Higgins.
 
The political stakes extend well beyond state lines, with control of the U.S. House hanging in the balance. If the new map faces immediate court challenges, it could disrupt the upcoming midterm elections.
 
Legal experts note that if the new map is struck down as unconstitutional before the election, the state might be forced to fall back on its existing 4-2 layout.
 
For now, the map awaits an expected signature from Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. But like the map thrown out by the Supreme Court, critics say this latest version fails to pass the "eyeball test."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Originally published on ktbs.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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