Supreme Court Allows Redrawing of Louisiana Congressional Map to Create Additional Majority-Black District

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National

Correspondent

The U.S. Supreme Court has permitted redrawing the Louisiana congressional map, paving the way for adding another majority-Black district.

The justices have reversed their initial plans to hear the case directly and lifted the hold placed on a lower court’s order regarding the need for a revamped redistricting regime.

Notably, there was no dissent among the justices.

This move by the Supreme Court follows a recent ruling made earlier this month regarding Alabama’s congressional maps.

The ruling upheld the historical approach of courts when dealing with the redistricting provisions in the Voting Rights Act, a historic civil rights law that Black voters are utilizing to challenge the Louisiana congressional plan.

The lower court proceedings, which the conservative majority had put on hold in June of last year, will now resume because of this new order.

At that time, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had been preparing for an expedited review of a judge’s ruling that suggested the 5-1 congressional plan likely violated the Voting Rights Act.

U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, who presided over the case, had been considering a remedial congressional