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Louisiana’s last majority-Black congressional district is facing a legal challenge months after a Supreme Court ruling led lawmakers to eliminate another district represented by a Black congressman.
The plaintiffs behind that lawsuit are now targeting the 2nd Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter.
A three-judge federal panel heard arguments Tuesday (October 27) on whether the case should remain open, Verite News reported.
The challenge follows the Supreme Court’s April 29 decision to strike down Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Cleo Fields.
The 6-3 ruling found that the district relied too heavily on race, weakening protections for Black voters under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, BIN reported.
Lawmakers approved a new map in May that eliminated the majority-Black district represented by Rep. Cleo Fields, leaving Carter’s district as the state’s only remaining majority-Black congressional district, according to Verite News.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is seeking to dismiss the latest challenge, arguing that the plaintiffs should file a separate lawsuit.
LDF attorney Victoria Wenger told Verite News that the court has set a December 15 deadline for the plaintiffs to present evidence challenging Carter’s district.
Carter condemned the effort in a video shared to social media on Wednesday (October 28), warning that it could further weaken Black representation in Louisiana.
“The more you try to take away, the more we're going to fight for more. The more we're going to vote, the more we're going to stand up, the more we're going to demand justice,” Carter said.
Voting rights advocates also criticized the challenge in interviews with Verite News.
Ashley Shelton, CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, called the plaintiffs’ latest effort “outrageous and immoral.”
Press Robinson, who is among those seeking dismissal, said, “Black voters are not pawns. We are not pieces to be moved around on a political chess board. And our voting maps have consequences in our lives.”
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