The Supreme Court just agreed to take on a big case about Louisiana’s congressional map, which has been stirring up trouble for years. This new case won’t change things for this year, but the decision could shake things up for how districts get drawn across the country.
Here’s the deal: Louisiana’s been in a long back-and-forth over how to split the state into six districts. The first version of the map was thrown out by federal courts, saying it watered down Black voters’ influence. So, Louisiana went back to the drawing board and created a new map with two majority-Black districts. Now, that map is causing more controversy, with some White Republican plaintiffs arguing the state relied too heavily on race when redrawing the lines. A special three-judge district court actually agreed with them, which is why it’s back at the Supreme Court.
The case is a big deal because it could help decide how much lawmakers can consider race when drawing district lines without breaking the Constitution. The whole thing is being closely watched by civil rights groups, politicians, and election experts. If the Supreme Court rules a certain way, it could impact how other states draw their maps, too.
At the center of the case is a new district that stretches about 250 miles from Shreveport to Baton Rouge. In this new district, Black residents make up around 54% of the voters, compared to about 24% before. That change could mean Louisiana Democrats might pick up an extra seat in Congress, which is huge for their party in a mostly Republican state.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court allowed Louisiana to use the new districts for the November election. Now everyone’s waiting to see if the court will keep things as they are or make more changes next year.