“Non-African American” Voters Challenge Louisiana’s New Majority-Black Districts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, a group of 12 voters who identify themselves as “non-African American” voters filed a lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s new congressional map with two majority-Black districts.
Just two weeks ago, the state enacted a new congressional map after courts found and affirmed that the previous map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The new map increases the Black makeup of the state’s 6th Congressional District — now stretching from Caddo Parish to East Baton Rouge Parish that is currently held by U.S. Rep Garret Graves (R) — from 23% to 54%. The state’s 2nd Congressional District — represented by the state’s only Black congressional member Troy Carter (D) — also has a Black voting age population of above 50%.
In response to this new map that gives Black voters the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in two congressional districts, non-Black voters — as they have self-identified — filed a new lawsuit alleging that the new map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The voters argue that the state “engaged in explicit, racial segregation of voters and intentional discrimination against voters based on race” in order to add a second majority-Black district, as required by the court.
The plaintiffs allege that the state’s new map — which was implemented to remedy a Voting Rights Act violation — violates the 14th and 15th Amendments and request that the court block the map and implement a new map for 2024 and all future elections.