Louisiana Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Callais)

An anti-voting lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map, which created two majority-Black districts, as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

Background

Lawsuit filed on behalf of 12 “non-African American” voters challenging the state’s 2024 congressional map. The Louisiana legislature enacted a new congressional map after a federal court struck down the previous map for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and ordered the implementation of a new map with two majority-Black districts. The plaintiffs claim that the map is racially gerrymandered and violates their right to vote under the 14th and 15th Amendments. The voters ask the court to block future use of the congressional map and adopt a new map that complies with the U.S. Constitution.

On June 27, 2025, in an unexpected move, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to issue a ruling in the case, postponing it to the next term. Then, on Aug. 1, 2025, the Supreme Court ordered both sides to submit supplemental briefs addressing whether Louisiana’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments.

Why It Matters

The Supreme Court’s decision to delay ruling in Callais v. Landry signals it may be preparing to significantly weaken what remains of the Voting Rights Act. At stake is whether drawing majority-Black districts to comply with Section 2 is itself unconstitutional — a decision that could strip communities of color of one of the few remaining tools to fight racial discrimination in voting. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has shown increasing support for a “colorblind” approach to constitutional interpretation, most notably in its 2023 decision striking down affirmative action. Justice Clarence Thomas echoed that reasoning in his dissent from the Court’s decision to delay the case, hinting at the direction the Court may take when it rehears the case this fall. 

Latest Updates

• Oct. 15, 2025: The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments.
• Sept. 17, 2025: Supplemental briefs for “non-African American” voters are due. 
• Aug. 27, 2025: Louisiana and Black voters filed their supplemental briefs. 
• Aug. 1, 2025: The Supreme Court asked for supplemental briefing on the following question: Whether the State’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S. Constitution. 
• June 27, 2025: The Supreme Court issued an order to rehear the case next term. 
• March 24, 2025: Oral argument in the Supreme Court was held.
• Nov. 4, 2024: The Supreme Court agreed to hear the state and Robinson plaintiffs’ appeals.
• Oct. 15, 2024: The Supreme Court dismissed the Galmon plaintiffs’ jurisdictional statement for lack of jurisdiction
• July 30, 2024: Louisiana, the Robinson and Galmon intervenors filed jurisdictional statements at the Supreme Court.
• May 15, 2024: The Supreme Court paused the district court’s decision, therefore paving the way for the state to use its map with two majority-Black districts for the 2024 elections.
• May 10, 2024: Louisiana and the Secretary of State also asked the Supreme Court to block the district court’s decision ahead of the 2024 elections. 
• May 8, 2024: The Robinson intervenors asked the Supreme Court to block the district court’s decision ahead of the 2024 elections.
• May 7, 2024: The state also appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• May 1, 2024: The Robinson intervenors appealed this case to the U.S. Supreme Court. 
• April 30, 2024: The three-judge panel found the state’s new congressional map unconstitutional and blocked it from being used for the upcoming 2024 election.
• April 8, 2024: Trial was held. 
• March 20, 2024: The Galmon plaintiffs appealed this ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
• March 15, 2024: The district court declined to reconsider the Galmon plaintiffs’ motion, ruling that the state of Louisiana and the Robinson plaintiffs were sufficient to represent their interests in the case.
• March 9, 2024: The Robinson and Galmon plaintiffs asked the district court to reconsider their motions to intervene.
• Feb. 26, 2024: A three judge panel issued a ruling denying the Galmon plaintiffs’ motion to intervene and granting the Robinson plaintiffs’ motion to intervene on a limited basis only if new maps needed to be drawn after trial.
• Feb. 7, 2024: The plaintiffs in Robinson v. Ardoin and Galmon v. Ardoin, the two cases which challenged Louisiana’s previous maps, intervened to defend the new map.
• Jan. 31, 2024: Plaintiffs filed their complaint.

Last updated: September 3, 2025 5:17 pm EST