Civil rights groups demand Supreme Court weigh in on Louisiana congressional map next week 

Civil rights groups insisted that the Supreme Court take up Louisiana’s redistricting battle on Wednesday in an attempt to maintain a second majority-black congressional district that was recently drawn.

A group of voters that described themselves as “non-African American” filed a lawsuit against the state in January, claiming the new district violated the equal protection clause or that the map discriminated against them.

That second district was drawn in response to black voters suing over the 2020 congressional map that only included one majority-black district out of six, despite black citizens comprising almost a third of the state’s population.

A judge declared that map a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act, which resulted in the recently redrawn map. Republican lawmakers sought to adhere to the court order and protect prominent party lawmakers such as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in the process.

Last week, a federal court struck down the new map, with judges saying that it contained a racial gerrymander in the new 6th Congressional District and that the map cannot be used in the 2024 election. The lower court gave the Louisiana legislature until early June to redraw the map, or else the court would.

The civil rights groups said the Supreme Court’s intervention is needed “to ensure that harm is not repeated.”

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Among other options, the Supreme Court could allow the map to be used or deny the civil rights groups’ appeal. That would leave the state itself to decide on a map.

Louisiana officials are aiming for a decision on the map by May 15 to have time to manage the 2024 elections.