logo
Supreme Court doesn't rule on Louisiana's second majority Black congressional district

Supreme Court doesn't rule on Louisiana's second majority Black congressional district

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday putting off ruling on a second Black majority congressional district in Louisiana, instead ordering new arguments in the fall.
The case is being closely watched because at arguments in March several of the court's conservative justices suggested they could vote to throw out the map and make it harder, if not impossible, to bring redistricting lawsuits under the Voting Rights Act.
The case involves the interplay between race and politics in drawing political boundaries in front of a conservative-led court that has been skeptical of considerations of race in public life.
Justice Clarence Thomas noted in a brief dissent from Friday's order that he would have decided the case now and imposed limits on 'race-based redistricting.'
The order keeps alive a fight over political power stemming from the 2020 census halfway to the next one. Two maps were blocked by lower courts, and the Supreme Court intervened twice. Last year, the justices ordered the new map to be used in the 2024 elections, while the legal case proceeded.
The call for new arguments probably means that the district currently represented by Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields probably will remain intact for the 2026 elections because the high court has separately been reluctant to upend districts as elections draw near.
The state has changed its election process to replace its so-called jungle primary with partisan primary elections in the spring, followed by a November showdown between the party nominees.
The change means candidates can start gathering signatures in September to get on the primary ballot for 2026.
The state's Republican-dominated legislature drew a new congressional map in 2022 to account for population shifts reflected in the 2020 census. But the changes effectively maintained the status quo of five Republican-leaning majority white districts and one Democratic-leaning majority Black district in a state in which Black people make up a third of the population.
Civil rights advocates won a lower-court ruling that the districts likely discriminated against Black voters.
The Supreme Court put the ruling on hold while it took a similar case from Alabama. The justices allowed both states to use congressional maps in the 2022 elections even though both had been ruled likely discriminatory by federal judges.
The high court eventually affirmed the ruling from Alabama, which led to a new map and a second district that could elect a Black lawmaker. The justices returned the Louisiana case to federal court, with the expectation that new maps would be in place for the 2024 elections.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave lawmakers in Louisiana a deadline of early 2024 to draw a new map or face the possibility of a court-imposed map.
The state complied and drew a new map, with two Black majority districts.
But white Louisiana voters claimed in their separate lawsuit challenging the new districts that race was the predominant factor driving the new map. A three-judge court agreed.
Louisiana appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court.
___
Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Law enforcement's response to fatal shooting of state lawmakers raises questions
Law enforcement's response to fatal shooting of state lawmakers raises questions

Fox News

timea minute ago

  • Fox News

Law enforcement's response to fatal shooting of state lawmakers raises questions

Law enforcement's response to the June 14 shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses is raising new questions. The Minnesota Star Tribune (MST) examined the timeline of events and found several instances in which law enforcement made unsettling decisions. On June 14, state Sen. John Hoffman, 34, DFL, and Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL, along with their spouses, were shot in their respective homes. Hoffman and his wife were wounded, but survived, while Hortman and her husband were killed. Despite knowing that a suspect — later identified as Vance Boelter — was impersonating an officer and had targeted a politician, law enforcement took 10 hours to alert lawmakers to the potential danger, according to MST. Following the shooting that wounded Hoffman and his wife, a New Hope police officer who was self-dispatched to the home of state Sen. Ann Rest, DFL, allegedly came in contact with Boelter. According to MST, Boelter did not respond to requests from the officer, who then drove away to check on Rest. However, the officer's interaction with the suspect was not immediately reported, according to MST. Additionally, the outlet alleges that Brooklyn Park police encountered the gunman at the Hortmans' home and saw him shoot Mark Hortman in the doorway before firing at the suspect. The gunman then went inside the home and additional gunfire was seen inside the house, according to MST. MST also claims that some police officers and legislators were not fully aware of the threat for several hours. Boelter was indicted on six federal charges in connection with the shootings, including the attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman. The maximum penalties for the charges include life in prison or death, according to the DOJ. "Vance Boelter planned and carried out a night of terror that shook Minnesota to its core," Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said in a statement. "He carried out targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota. We grieve with the Hortman family and continue to pray for the recovery of the Hoffmans. Today, a grand jury indicted Boelter with the most serious of federal charges for these heinous political assassinations. Let me be clear: Boelter will see justice." Fox News Digital reached out to Brooklyn Park Police and New Hope Police outside of office hours and did not receive a response from either department in time for publication.

Congressional Candidate, 27, Forcibly Removed from Hearing and Arrested After Criticizing Texas Republicans: 'I'm Not Finished!'
Congressional Candidate, 27, Forcibly Removed from Hearing and Arrested After Criticizing Texas Republicans: 'I'm Not Finished!'

Yahoo

time29 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Congressional Candidate, 27, Forcibly Removed from Hearing and Arrested After Criticizing Texas Republicans: 'I'm Not Finished!'

Isaiah Martin, who spent a day in jail, later confirmed the charges were dropped and said he'd 'do it again for the people of Texas" A congressional candidate was forcibly removed from a hearing at the Texas State Capitol and arrested this week, after going over an apparent two-minute time limit to speak as he delivered a statement in opposition to Texas Republicans' redistricting efforts. Congressional District 18 candidate Isaiah Martin, 27, attended a hearing held by the Texas House Congressional Redistricting Committee on Thursday, July 24, when he offered his thoughts on the redistricting efforts in question, calling it 'illegal gerrymandering." According to Austin ABC affiliate KVUE, Gov. Greg Abbott added discussion of a proposed redrawing of congressional districts to the agenda following pressure from the Trump administration. Per The Hill, the redrawing of the state's maps could give the GOP an advantage in the 2026 midterms, as KVUE reported the state's constitution allows the maps to be redrawn at the discretion of both the governor and the Legislature — although it is rare to be done mid-decade. "Many of you that are Republicans, and I'm looking at you, you understand the game. You gotta get Trump's endorsement," Martin said at the beginning of his remarks, before his arrest. "That's the name of the game to be a Republican nowadays. And you know very clearly that Trump told every single one of you that he needs five seats." After he continued past an apparent allotted two-minute speaking time, Rep. Cody Vasut asked the sergeant-at-arms to remove Martin from the hearing. Footage from the scene, which was later shared by Martin's campaign on X, shows the candidate telling Republicans they have "no shame" as his microphone is removed from him. Martin then told the committee that "history might not remember you at all," as two men began to pull him out of the state capitol — with one man appearing to restrain Martin by lying on top of him. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) later confirmed, per KVUE and CBS Austin, that Martin was charged with disrupting a meeting, resisting arrest and criminal trespassing. His arrest took place around 7 p.m. local time, and he was later booked in Travis County Jail. His charges were dropped, per CBS Austin and an update that was shared on Martin's social media. A DPS spokesperson told KVUE that the arrest took place after Martin "refused to obey requests from committee members and subsequent orders from DPS to leave a committee hearing at the Texas State Capitol." The DPS did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for confirmation on July 25. Per KVUE, Martin spent over 24 hours in jail. Martin's brother confirmed in a statement on X that "all charges" against him had been dropped, before Martin shared in a message of his own hours later that he was put in custody for a day because Republicans "were mad I had the AUDACITY to call them cowards to their faces." "They did this because I had the audacity to speak up, and you know what? I'm gonna continue to have that audacity," he said. "Because strongly worded letters won't get us out of this mess. It takes speaking truth to power no matter what the consequences are." Speaking with CBS Austin following his release, Martin reiterated that he would "do it again for the people of Texas." Read the original article on People

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store