BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Senate passed the final version of a new congressional map in a 28-10 vote down party lines Friday, eliminating one majority-Black district.
Senate Bill 121, authored by Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, creates 5 majority-Republican districts and 1 majority-Democratic district following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Louisiana v. Callais case restricting the use of race in the drawing of congressional maps.
The map bill now goes to Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who had suspended congressional primaries while waiting for the new maps. He is expected to sign it.
The Legislature was forced to redraw the maps quickly after the court decision. But the change from the current split of four Republican and two Democratic seats also fits with national Republican efforts to use redistricting to gain more seats in the midterm elections and try to hold onto control of the U.S. House.
Morris said the new map is similar to a 2022 map approved by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as a 2011 congressional map that had been green-lighted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“This was pre-cleared by the Justice Department (under) President Obama as being an appropriate map,” Morris told lawmakers. “So, what we have now is a continuation of those maps in a very similar form that were pre-cleared by the United States Justice Department.”
Despite Morris’ assurances of the map’s ability to withstand legal scrutiny, many are concerned about the potential for litigation on either side of the political aisle. Democrats in the House and Senate assert that the map suppresses Black voters, unfairly packing them into one district.
Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, said Black Democrats are considering a lawsuit challenging the map on the other side of the issue.
“Our motto has always been over the last few years, what we can’t win through legislation, we’ll win through litigation,” Jordan said in a news conference Wednesday. “So we are prepared to do that. We’re going to continue to fight for the African Americans not only of this state but throughout the whole country.”
Some White voters aren’t pleased with the 5-1 map, with the Callais case plaintiffs saying in court filings this week in the Western District of Louisiana that the Legislature is still failing at removing race from consideration of the map.
“If the Legislature fails to enact a new map by then [June 1] or enacts SB 121 without any substantial changes to the current structure, Plaintiffs may well ask the Court to schedule proceedings to impose a remedy that fully complies with Callais,” the court filing says.
Morris emphasized his avoidance in using race to create SB 121, saying he strictly used political affiliation to designate districts. He added that litigation is unavoidable when it comes to congressional maps.
Morris’ map emerged from a process that began more than two weeks ago, when members of a Senate committee stayed up most of the night to hear from dozens of witnesses about various proposed maps.
The Senate then passed Morris’ map, and the House amended it Thursday, making tweaks such as keeping the districts of some state lawmakers within one congressional district rather than being split among two.
Avery White contributed to this story.
