Will Louisiana’s last majority-Black district survive Callais? A court will decide

A federal court agreed to hear arguments later this month over whether Louisiana’s newly enacted congressional map complies with the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial ruling in Louisiana v. Callais — a proceeding that could put the state’s last remaining majority-Black congressional district in jeopardy.

A three-judge federal panel Monday scheduled a June 17 hearing to determine whether Louisiana’s new congressional plan satisfies the legal standard established by the Supreme Court when it struck down the state’s previous map with two majority-Black districts in April.

The court also ordered expedited briefing, with filings due June 5 and responses due June 12.

The hearing marks the latest escalation in an increasingly aggressive effort by the white voters who brought the Callais lawsuit. 

After successfully convincing the Supreme Court to invalidate Louisiana’s previous map containing two majority-Black congressional districts, the plaintiffs are now arguing that the state’s newly enacted replacement map may still rely too heavily on race — even though lawmakers already eliminated one of those districts.

In its order, the court said it would convene the hearing “to determine whether the newly enacted congressional plan satisfies the requirements of Louisiana v. Callais.”

The development comes just days after Louisiana enacted a new congressional map following the Supreme Court’s ruling. The new map dismantles the state’s second majority-Black district, which has been represented by U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields (D), leaving Louisiana with only one majority-Black congressional district.

For voting rights advocates, that concession was already significant. The state’s previous map with two majority-Black districts had been adopted after years of litigation brought by Black voters who argued Louisiana’s congressional lines unlawfully diluted Black voting strength despite Black residents making up roughly one-third of the state’s population.

But the white voters behind the Callais case have continued pressing the courts, arguing that even Louisiana’s remaining majority-Black district may not survive the Supreme Court’s new standard.

Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, the litigation centered strictly on the state’s second majority-Black district — a district stretching from Baton Rouge to Shreveport that the plaintiffs alleged was drawn predominantly because of race. The Court ultimately agreed, holding that Louisiana’s map violated constitutional limits on race-based redistricting.

Since then, however, the plaintiffs have urged the court to scrutinize the state’s replacement map as well, contending that lawmakers still failed to draw congressional districts without improperly considering race.

Monday’s order signals that the court believes those arguments warrant formal consideration.

The June hearing will not automatically eliminate Louisiana’s remaining majority-Black district. But it means judges will now examine whether the state’s new one-majority-Black-district map complies with the Supreme Court’s decision — creating fresh uncertainty for Black voters and civil rights advocates who warned that the Callais ruling could become a vehicle for attacking majority-Black districts more broadly.

The hearing is scheduled to begin June 17 before U.S. Circuit Judge Carl Stewart, a Clinton appointee, and U.S. District Judges David Joseph and Robert Summerhays, both Trump appointees.