The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered further argument in what is considered a high-stakes redistricting case in Louisiana. The court delayed its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, a case that would have determined whether one of the state’s two majority-Black congressional districts was a racial gerrymander. The punt on the case has created uncertainty in the battle for the House. As Politico explains, one Democratic-held House seat is in limbo as Republicans look to defend their thin majority in the next election. The legal battle began with Robinson v. Landry (originally Robinson v. Ardoin). The NAACP Louisiana State Conference, along with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and nine Black voters, successfully challenged the state’s 2022 congressional map. According to the Vanguard News Group, the map drawn by the state legislature following the 2020 Census Bureau was found to violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This was after the state’s governing body drew a congressional map that packed Black voters...

NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEIU service and care workers joined by over a dozen local and national partner organizations, faith leaders, and local allies will lead a mass march and rally in New Orleans on Tuesday, calling for an end to the Trump administration’s brutal ICE raids, the release of immigrant workers unjustly detained in Louisiana and across the country, and a future where working people of every race and background can thrive.  “Workers of every race have always faced systems designed to strip away our rights, divide our communities, and criminalize our existence, all while politicians and corporations profit,” said April Verrett, President of SEIU. “Immigration detention and mass incarceration are two sides of the same system of control, and we’ve seen this hateful playbook before. We’re standing together in a powerful, united resistance to reject the politics of cruelty and greed, where some think they can send our families, friends, and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered further argument in the high-stakes redistricting case Louisiana v. Callais, a move that leaves the future of Black political representation in the state hanging in the balance. In an unexpected decision issued June 27, 2025, the Court restored the case to its calendar for reargument during its next term, with a decision likely by mid-2026. The ruling affects Louisiana’s current congressional map (Senate Bill 8 or SB8), which features two majority-Black districts and will remain in effect in the interim. The order did not explain the Court’s reasoning, but it will issue a future order setting the new argument date and specifying any additional legal questions for the parties to address. Justice Clarence Thomas issued a sharply worded dissent, accusing the Court of “punting without explanation” and warning that delays only deepen confusion over the balance between the Voting Rights Act...

Some grassroots environmental organizations have regained access to the millions of dollars they were promised through the Inflation Reduction Act. But now some see an even more menacing threat: prosecution.  The unease has grown as President Donald Trump’s attacks on them and their mission to help disadvantaged communities and curb climate change continues to escalate.  Leaders of these groups say they expect federal agents to start breathing down their necks any day now as Trump seeks to shred the climate initiatives of his predecessor, Joe Biden.  “It’s not a matter of if you will be audited, it’s a matter of when,” said Ashley Shelton, executive director of the Louisiana-based nonprofit The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. ...

Some grassroots environmental organizations have regained access to the millions of dollars they were promised through the Inflation Reduction Act. But now some see an even more menacing threat: prosecution. The unease has grown as President Donald Trump’s attacks on them and their mission to help disadvantaged communities and curb climate change continues to escalate. Leaders of these groups say they expect federal agents to start breathing down their necks any day now as Trump seeks to shred the climate initiatives of his predecessor, Joe Biden. “It’s not a matter of if you will be audited, it’s a matter of when,” said Ashley Shelton, executive director of the Louisiana-based nonprofit The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice....

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The U.S. Supreme Court decided to delay its ruling on Louisiana’s congressional map and will rehear the case later.  Justice Clarence Thomas disagreed, saying the Court is required to act quickly and warned that current interpretations of the Voting Rights Act may force states to draw race-based districts that violate the Constitution. “A fair and equitable congressional map has always been our North Star. Today’s decision deferring the case does not shake our focus on that goal. We will continue to advocate for a map that reflects our communities and upholds the hope of true and substantive political representation, and we look forward to using this opportunity to continue to build Black political power for our beloved communities across Louisiana and the nation.” ASHLEY SHELTON, PRESIDENT/CEO OF POWER COALITION FOR EQUITY AND JUSTICE...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order to reargue the case of Louisiana v. Callais and will issue an order scheduling the argument and specifying any additional questions that will need to be addressed in the case.  Louisiana’s current map with two majority-Black districts remains in effect. The re-argument of the case will likely occur during the fall.   “A fair and equitable congressional map has always been our North Star,” said Ashley Shelton, President/CEO of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “Today’s decision deferring the case does not shake our focus on that goal. We will continue to advocate for a map that reflects our communities and upholds the hope of true and substantive political representation, and we look forward to using this opportunity to continue to build Black political power for our beloved communities across Louisiana and the nation.” ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order to reargue the case of Louisiana v. Callais and will later issue an order scheduling the argument and specifying any additional questions that will need to be addressed in the case. Louisiana’s current map with two majority-Black districts remains in effect. The re-argument of the case will likely occur during the fall. Louisiana’s current congressional map, known as S.B. 8, was drawn in response to a separate lawsuit, Robinson v. Ardoin (later Robinson v. Landry). In that earlier case, brought by the NAACP Louisiana State Conference, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and nine individual Black voters, a federal court in Baton Rouge found that Louisiana’s 2022 map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by packing Black voters into a single majority-Black district and diluting the voting strength of Black voters in other districts. That part of the decision was upheld by...

“Grassroots work, unfortunately, isn’t for the fearful,” says Asti Robins, director of climate justice at the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, a Louisiana-based group of community organizations, which has seen clean energy projects shuttered as federal grants are revoked. The Power Coalition is among a number of groups that raised the spectre of audits as another tool in the Trump arsenal against climate groups, with reports surfacing that groups were being asked to turn over correspondence with the EPA along with the paper trail of how they were spending money, articles of incorporation and policies. There were also worries that the president would target green groups’ tax-exempt status, but as of April the move had not occurred. Beyond the economic attacks, there has been the broader “anti-woke” attack on all things DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – which is also a crucial part of the climate movement today. Environmental justice groups...

Slavery officially ended in 1863, but it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that freedom found its way to the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. That date has since become the national holiday known as Juneteenth, and while many cities hold festivals and parades to mark it, these seven events across the South offer unique opportunities to celebrate and reflect. Juneteenth Day of Service Saturday, June 21, Shreveport, Louisiana The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice will host a day of service at Shreveport Green Urban Farm, where volunteers will spend the morning beautifying that green space and other local gardens in the city. A DJ will bring the fun, while hotdogs and hamburgers will provide the fuel....

A group of voting rights organizations is challenging a new state law that requires Louisiana residents to show proof of U.S. citizenship when they register to vote. The Senate bill, which Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law last June after it passed both chambers of the Legislature, took effect Jan. 1. According to the law, voter applications will ask prospective voters eligibility questions when they go to register, such as whether they will be 18 years old before election day. “Are you a citizen of the United States of America?” is among the questions on the form, and the law requires applicants to show proof of their citizenship when applying.  The measure aims to keep noncitizens from entering the voting booth. But voting rights advocates say the new law goes beyond what federal law allows....

Voting rights groups are suing Louisiana over a new law that forces every would-be voter to provide documentary proof of citizenship in order to register, a requirement they say goes far beyond what federal law allows.  Imposing a proof of citizenship requirement is a key GOP priority. It’s a key element of the SAVE Act, the restrictive anti-voting bill that Republicans passed through the U.S. House last month. And it’s part of President Donald Trump’s executive order that aims to assert control over voting. The Louisiana law, known as SB 436, mandates that every voter registration applicant submit proof of U.S. citizenship, but doesn’t say what counts as “proof,” how it must be submitted or whether it applies to online voter registration....

Baton Rouge, Louisiana — Today, a coalition of voting rights groups is suing the state of Louisiana for a blatant violation of Louisianians’ freedom to vote. The state passed a proof of citizenship law that is unconstitutionally vague and violates the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). If implemented, the law will disproportionately harm voters of color, women, new voters, voters with past felony convictions, and other historically disenfranchised communities. The League of Women Voters of Louisiana (LWVLA), Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), the NAACP Louisiana State Conference, and Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) filed suit to ensure all eligible Louisiana voters can make their voices heard without being burdened by potentially onerous voter registration requirements. The groups are represented by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), and Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)....

If ever there was an election to prove that every vote counts, it was the May 3 Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office millage election. With more than $13 million at stake, a measly 9.6% of New Orleans voters overall decided that the office responsible for keeping pretrial detainees off the streets, fed, safe and secure should keep as much as 20% of the office budget for the next 10 years. Of those who cast ballots during the early voting period and those who voted Saturday, the decision came down to two votes....

Black voters in Louisiana and Wisconsin recently gave Republicans two defeats showing the importance of state-based organizing. While some refer to odd number years as the “off cycle,” organizing efforts in both states led to major victories for pro-democracy advocates. Last weekend, a coalition powered in part by increased turnout among Black voters rejected four constitutional amendments championed by the state’s Republican governor. Ashley Shelton, president and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, called the wins a “movement” of people reclaiming their power. “These amendments weren’t designed to serve the people; they were crafted in back rooms where only the well-connected have a seat at the table,” Shelton said. “For weeks, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice traveled across the state, engaging in real conversations about what these amendments meant for our families, our communities, and our future. And when the truth was put in the hands of the people,...

When all four of conservative Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposed constitutional amendments were soundly defeated Saturday — about twice as many voters voted against them as for them — he responded with insults, condescension and misinformation. The governor should have acknowledged that Louisianians didn’t want what he was selling and graciously accepted the will of the voters. Instead, as has become typical for some conservative politicians, the governor blamed political extremists and George Soros. As has become typical for some conservative politicians, the governor blamed political extremists and George Soros. “Soros and far left liberals poured millions into Louisiana with propaganda and outright lies about Amendment 2,” Landry said in a statement. “Although we are disappointed in tonight’s results, we do not see this as a failure. We realize how hard positive change can be to implement in a State that is conditioned for failure.”...

At a moment when the nation is looking to take the political temperature of a country rocked by rapid-fire decisions on the federal level, Louisiana residents overwhelmingly rejected four ballot initiatives put in front of voters on March 29. The moment was a defeat for Republican Governor Jeff Landry. Grassroots organizers in Louisiana running the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, led by Gary Chambers and Ashley Shelton, led a series of town hall meetings from February 20 to March 11 to educate voters on the four initiatives and encourage them to “just say no” to all of them. Voters appeared to have listened. Close to two-thirds of voters in Louisiana rejected all the amendments. The moment takes place against the backdrop of raucous and packed town halls across the nation featuring citizens asking pointed questions about what they can do to protect democracy....

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Busloads of Louisiana voters are traveling to Washington, D.C. for a historic U.S. Supreme Court hearing on the state’s congressional redistricting case. Residents from the Baton Rouge and New Orleans metro areas will make the trip on Saturday to attend the hearing for Louisiana v. Callais, scheduled for Monday, March 24. The case could have major implications for the future of Louisiana’s congressional map and the representation of Black voters in the state. “The State of Louisiana and its legislature were forced by a federal judge to draw fair maps, and so that’s how we were able to get a second majority-minority congressional seat. And then Callais challenged that map, saying it was a racial gerrymander. Indeed, it was not,” said Ashley Shelton, President and CEO of Power Coalition. Shelton emphasized that the case is a pivotal moment in the ongoing fight for fair...

On March 24, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a pivotal case out of Louisiana that could reshape the future of voting rights nationwide. The consolidated cases — Louisiana v. Callais and Robinson v. Callais — challenge the congressional map drawn by the Louisiana state legislature in 2024. This map was created after a lower federal court, the Fifth Circuit, found that the 2022 version likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting practices. In a media briefing on March 14, hosted by Ethnic Media Services, experts discussed the attack on voting rights in the South with respect to the case on Louisiana’s redistricting. ...

A majority of the Supreme Court appeared ready on Monday to allow Louisiana to continue using a congressional voting map that includes two majority-Black districts in the state. The question before the court: Did Louisiana lawmakers improperly rely on race when they drafted the map? The case could not only shift the boundaries of majority-Black districts in Louisiana but also help determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives in the coming years, when political control of the chamber has frequently rested on thin margins. Using the new map to hold elections in 2024, Louisiana elected a second Black Democrat, Cleo Fields — the first time in a decade that Democrats have held two congressional seats in the state....

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, voting rights advocates argued before the Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais that a congressional map that was in place during the 2024 election cycle should remain because it satisfies both the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The coalition made the case that the 2024 map fairly recognizes the political power of Black Louisianians, who make up one-third of the state’s population while balancing other redistricting priorities—in stark contrast to the discriminatory map passed by the state legislature in 2022, which federal courts determined likely violated the VRA by including only one majority-Black district....

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) argued before the Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais that a congressional map that was in place during the 2024 election cycle should remain because it satisfies both the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. LDF made the case that the 2024 map fairly recognizes the political power of Black Louisianians, who make up one third of the state’s population, while balancing other redistricting priorities—in stark contrast to the discriminatory map passed by the state legislature in 2022, which federal courts determined likely violated the VRA by including only one majority-Black district....

A New York University study says that fairer maps increase voter turnout. A higher percentage of Black residents voted in Louisiana’s new majority-Black 6th Congressional District in the November 2024 election than those who were redistricted into majority-white districts, a new report shows. The report from the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan political and legal think tank that’s part of New York University Law School, was released last week. In it, researchers analyzed voter turnout in three newly-formed majority-Black congressional districts — in Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia. They found similar trends across all three states — that Black residents turned out to vote more when they were in majority-Black districts. Although there was only a two-percent difference in turnout between Black voters who were and weren’t drawn into majority-Black districts in Louisiana, that difference represents thousands of people, the report said....

WHAT IS LOUISIANA V. CALLAIS ABOUT? Louisiana v. Callais is a redistricting case before the U.S. Supreme Court that will determine the future of Louisiana’s congressional map. The Supreme Court will hear oral argument on March 24, 2025. The outcome of the case will not only impact Louisiana but will also forecast the resilience of our democratic values and shape the future of redistricting cases nationwide.  At its core, Louisiana v. Callais is about equal representation for Black voters in Louisiana and the role of race in redistricting. The Court will determine if Louisiana lawmakers properly balanced constitutional and Voting Rights Act of 1965 (“VRA”) protections when enacting a new congressional map with two majority-Black districts in 2024, following years of litigation under Section 2 of the VRA.  The Court will be poised to address long-held precedent about how lawmakers must balance constitutional and VRA protections when enacting maps—as well as the extent of their...

NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana First) — A fashion show in New Orleans aims to show off the hottest looks while raising money for nonprofits during Super Bowl weekend.  The Power Coalition for Equity & Justice teams up with the Off the Field NFL Wives Association, a national nonprofit comprised of the spouses of active and retired NFL players, for the 24th annual Charity Fashion Show before the Super Bowl.  The event brings together NFL wives, community leaders, and philanthropic organizations to showcase style and fashion and raise funds for impactful causes. The Power Coalition will work alongside Off the Field to amplify the importance of civic engagement and community empowerment.  “We started because we really wanted to give back. Our mission is to work with each local community and see how we can give back with our proceeds,” Off the Field NFL Wives Association Executive Director Asia Richardson said....