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...

WASHINGTON —The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to review the case of Robinson v. Callais, which could determine how congressional maps are drawn in Louisiana. The court will now consider whether Louisiana violated the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause when the state legislature redrew Louisiana’s congressional map in January 2024, after a federal court found the state’s 2022 map violated the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The court may also determine how much latitude state lawmakers have in considering politics or other legislative preferences when they draw districts to comply with the VRA.  “We look forward to continuing to defend the rights of Black voters to elect their candidates of choice,” said Stuart Naifeh, redistricting manager for the Legal Defense Fund (LDF). “Just in 2023, the Supreme Court recognized the ongoing vitality and necessity of the Voting Rights Act to protect voters of color from dilution of their votes in state redistricting decisions. Black voters have an unprecedented opportunity to make their voices heard in this year’s congressional elections because multiple federal courts, in our Robinson v. Landry litigation, applied that ruling and invalidated the state’s 2022 congressional map. Federal law requires Louisiana to have a fair map that reflects the power and voice of the state’s Black communities. The state recognized as much when it adopted a new map with a second majority-Black district in January. Now the Supreme Court must do the same.”...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Black voters asked the Supreme Court to take up a case to determine whether Louisiana will maintain the map enacted by the state legislature this year, which includes two majority-Black districts, following the 2024 elections.  The appeal in Robinson v. Callais comes after the Court granted an emergency stay in May, pausing a district court’s decision to overturn the map, and allowing it to go into effect for the 2024 elections. The question remains whether the map will stand for the remainder of the decade until the next redistricting process.

Louisiana’s current congressional map was drawn in direct response to a separate lawsuit, Robinson v. Landry. There, a federal court found that the state’s map passed in 2022, which included only one majority-Black district, likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The same Black voters and civic organizations who filed today with the Supreme Court are responsible for that landmark win, which has been sustained on appeal.

“In January, the Louisiana Legislature finally did what it should have done in 2022: pass a fair map that reflects the diversity of the great state of Louisiana,” said Stuart Naifeh, redistricting manager for the Legal Defense Fund. “It was wrong for the lower court to disrupt the state’s effort to do the right thing and throw the 2024 election into chaos. The Supreme Court set that right for this election cycle by allowing, and as our filing explains, federal law and the Constitution require that Louisiana maintain this new map until the next census.”  

“This year, Black voters in Louisiana will have an opportunity to elect their candidates of choice for two congressional seats—the same should be true moving forward,” said Ashley Shelton, president/CEO of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “The law, and basic principles of fairness, point in this direction. Black voters have mobilized since the beginning of the redistricting process in Louisiana. We will continue to mobilize to the polls. And we will continue to fight for fair maps until these cases are complete.”

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On May 15th 2024, the US Supreme Court made history by reinstating Louisiana’s new congressional map voted in by the Louisiana legislature and fought for by activists throughout the state, including the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. The state of Louisiana now has a congressional map that contains a second Black-majority district that will be in effect in time for the November general election.  The court voted to grant a stay in Robinson V. Callias, after a district court made a decision to strike down the congressional map introduced by SB8 in January. The court ruled that the maps were “an impermissible racial gerrymander in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment”. The panel was made up of three judges, and the authors of the majority opinion were appointed by former President Donald Trump.  SB8 was created in response to Robinson V. Landry, where the 2022...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily reinstated a congressional map in Louisiana that includes a second majority-Black district, increasing the likelihood that Democrats could gain a House seat from the state in the November election.

The move could be particularly significant in an election cycle in which the balance of power in the House is likely to be determined by a handful of races.

The order was unsigned, as is the Supreme Court’s custom in ruling on emergency applications. It came in response to a challenge to a lower-court decision that had blocked the map drawn by Louisiana’s Republican-controlled Legislature, deeming it a racial gerrymander.

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday paved the way for Louisiana to use a congressional map in this year’s election that includes two majority-Black districts.

The court granted emergency requests filed by an unlikely alliance of Republican state officials and civil rights groups, who were united in asking the high court to block a lower court ruling that invalidated the most recently drawn map. State officials had said they needed to have the map finalized by Wednesday to meet bureaucratic deadlines and avoid “disarray.”

The court’s three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writing that the state still had time to draw a map that would address the various legal questions that have been raised. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority.

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A newly drawn congressional map in Louisiana was struck down on Tuesday by a panel of federal judges who found that the new boundaries, which form a second majority Black district in the state, amounted to an “impermissible racial gerrymander” that violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The 2-to-1 ruling now leaves uncertain which boundaries will be used in the November elections, which are just six months away and could play a critical role in determining the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

Critics warned that the decision could have broader implications on voting rights. Eric H. Holder Jr., the former U.S. attorney general and current chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said the “ideological nature of the decision could not be more clear.”

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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—The recently passed Louisiana Congressional district map is being debated in federal court after opponents filed a lawsuit calling it unconstitutional.

Plaintiffs said they brought the lawsuit because they believe the map was drawn unconstitutionally, with race being a prominent factor.

The newly drawn map passed in the 2024 Special Legislative Session, created a second Black majority out of Louisiana’s six districts to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Because 1/3 of voters in Louisiana are Black, the Act requires that the district be drawn to reflect that representation.

Jared Evans, Senior Policy counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, argues that the goal of the plaintiffs is to “have a district with one majority Black district and five majority White that elect White republicans.”

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SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — The trial over a lawsuit attempting to overthrow Louisiana’s new congressional map will continue Wednesday (April 10).

The hearing before a three-judge panel is being held in Shreveport. It began Monday and could last at least one more day.

Earlier this year, Louisiana lawmakers were tasked with making the map after a judge said a previous one violated the Voting Rights Act. The judge said Louisiana must have two majority-minority districts since one-third of its population is African-American. The previous map had one such district.

Under the latest map, the new 6th Congressional District extends from southern Caddo Parish through Natchitoches and Alexandria to Baton Rouge. The new boundaries jeopardize Republican Congressman Garret Graves’ place in Congress.

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The trial to decide the fate of Louisiana’s congressional representation continued in Shreveport on Tuesday, as the court heard further testimony from elected officials and demographics experts.

The trial is the result of a federal lawsuit filed by a group of Louisiana residents that argued that the congressional map supported by Gov. Jeff Landry and approved by the state Legislature in January amounted to an unconstitutional “racial gerrymander.” The map, introduced in Senate Bill 8, created a new majority Black congressional district stretching diagonally across the state to encompass the large Black communities in and around Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge. 

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BATON ROUGE, La. — In a victory for fair maps, a federal court today ruled in favor of Louisiana voters, agreeing that the current state House and Senate district maps violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.  The plaintiffs who challenged the state legislative maps — the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, and several individual voters — are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Louisiana, Legal Defense Fund (LDF), law firm Cozen O’ Connor, and Louisiana attorneys Ron Wilson and John Adcock.  In its decision, the court condemned the packing and cracking of Black communities within the maps, emphasizing the importance of upholding the principles of equal representation for all citizens.   In response to these findings, the court has mandated remedial measures to rectify the discriminatory boundaries, ensuring that future elections reflect the true diversity of the Louisiana population....

With a fair congressional map signed into law, advocates shift to making sure that residents understand the stakes of this year’s elections. Baton Rouge resident Ashley Shelton was overjoyed when she learned that, after a years-long legal battle, Black Louisianans have secured greater political representation. On Monday, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law a map that follows the math by adding a second majority-Black congressional district. Previously, Black Louisianans had a fair shot at electing their preferred candidate in only one of the Bayou State’s six congressional districts, even though Louisiana is 33% Black. “This whole story has been about the judges, the U.S. Supreme Court, the legislators, the governors. But, ultimately, the people are who got us here,” Shelton, the president and founder of the New Orleans-based nonprofit Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, which was a plaintiff in the case, told Capital B. “People power made this happen —...

Louisiana has a second majority Black congressional district for the first time in decades after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed off on a new map Monday passed by the Legislature during a Special Session last week. Lawmakers dismantled Republican U.S. Rep. Garret Graves’ 6th Congressional District to create the new majority Black district that includes parts of Shreveport, Alexandria, and Baton Rouge as the population centers, putting Graves’ political future in danger....

The Legislature passed a congressional map that creates a second majority-Black district while shielding the state’s most powerful conservatives in Washington from political jeopardy. Louisiana lawmakers on Friday approved a new congressional map that would create a second district with a majority of Black voters, after a federal court found that the existing map appeared to illegally undercut the power of Black voters in the state. Given that Black voters often back Democratic candidates in the state, the new map also increases the possibility of Democrats’ taking control of a second congressional seat in Louisiana....

BATON ROUGE, La. – A pivotal Mass Mobilization Event is set for Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at 8 a.m. at the Louisiana Capitol Park Museum. Organized by Power Coalition, this event is a critical response to the special legislative session called by Gov. Jeff Landry, symbolically starting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, underscoring the ongoing struggle for racial equality and fair representation. Collaborators include NAACP LDF,SPLC, ACLU Louisiana, Step Up Louisiana, Bike N Vote, A Bella La Femme Society,A’sani Heartbeat Foundation, and Alabama Values. The event precedes the legislative session’s committee hearing and public testimony, starting with a training breakfast with legal experts Jared Evans and Victoria Wenger from the Legal Defense Fund.  Attendees will also receive additional education from the Power Coalition and other advocates regarding the ongoing fight for fair maps and how it’s connected to community issues.  The mass mobilization is designed to educate and prepare community members to use their voices during...

“At every step of the redistricting process, Black Louisianans have fought hard for our communities’ right to be fully represented,” said Ashley Shelton, president and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “The people of Louisiana deserve to be a part of a fair political process that works for all, not just some. We look forward to continuing to advocate for voters as they push for a fair map.”...

The indelible tableau of the Civil Rights Movement included people in their Sunday best being beaten at the foot the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, and the inspirational words delivered by Martin Luther King at the foot of Abraham Lincoln’s statue in Washington....

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Voting rights advocates and Democratic officials in Louisiana are applauding a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that they believe will lead to the state getting a second majority-African American congressional district. Ashley Shelton leads the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. The organization is a litigant fighting the congressional map approved by the GOP-controlled legislature in 2022. On Monday (June 26) the Supreme Court lifted its hold on the Louisiana case....

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday brought Louisiana one step closer to having a second majority-Black congressional district — a move that would mark a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Democrats — by refusing to take up a closely watched challenge to the state’s congressional districts. The court rejected a request by Attorney General Jeff Landry to hear the case, and instead sent it back down to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the state will seek to overturn a ruling that required the Republican-led Legislature to add another majority-Black district....

June 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a Republican bid to defend a Louisiana electoral map that was challenged as discriminatory in a case that could lead to the creation of a second majority-Black congressional district in the state....

CNN — The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Louisiana congressional map to be redrawn to add another majority-Black district. The justices reversed plans to hear the case themselves and lifted a hold they placed on a lower court’s order for a reworked redistricting regime. There were no noted dissents....

WASHINGTON – Within hours of Thursday’s stunning U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively requires Alabama to draw a second majority-Black congressional district, The Cook Report, a respected political handicapper, changed its 2024 election prognosis for two Louisiana Republicans – U.S. Reps Julia Letlow, of Start, and Garret Graves, of Baton Rouge – from “Solid GOP” to “Toss Up.” Cook could have easily included U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson – the Benton Republican who ranks fifth in the House majority leadership – because his northwest Louisiana seat also could have a bull’s eye on it once the Louisiana Legislature sits back down to decide where a second majority-Black congressional district will go in this state....

The supreme court’s decision on Thursday upholding a critical provision of the Voting Rights Act could upend congressional maps across several southern US states, a change that is likely to boost Democrats’ chances in 2024 House races and give Black voters more opportunities to elect candidates of their choice....

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Alabama’s congressional maps violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act could lead to a second majority-Black district in Louisiana. State leaders are praising the decision, saying the change is necessary. The ruling came on Thursday, June 8, and affirmed that Alabama needs to create a new map with an additional majority-Black district because 27% of the state’s population is Black....

Opponents of Louisiana’s Republican-drawn political maps are optimistic the state could soon have new mapsthat include a second majority-Black congressional district, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Black voters in a similar Alabama case. The Alabama decision, which ordered that state to create another district with a large Black population, upheld decades of legal jurisprudence in the Voting Rights Act that determine whether redistricting plans are racially discriminatory....

Opponents of Louisiana’s Republican-drawn political maps are optimistic the state could soon have new mapsthat include another majority-Black congressional district, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Black voters in a similar Alabama case. The Alabama decision, which ordered that state to create another district with a large Black population, upheld decades of legal jurisprudence in the Voting Rights Act that determine whether redistricting plans are racially discriminatory....

WASHINGTON, DC — Shortly ahead of arguing before the Supreme Court on a voting rights lawsuit that bears his name, Alabama attorney Evan Milligan was already looking forward to what needs to be done to secure permanent voting rights protections for all Americans. “My hope is not based on the court,” Milligan said at a recent news conference. “My hope is based on the agency of my people and our allies.”...

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As The South Votes, Episode 2. What gerrymandering looks like in the South—and what we can do about it before it’s too late....

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – With midterms just over a month away, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on a case involving the Alabama electoral map and redistricting that could negatively impact Black voters in the state. Tuesday’s arguments present a test for the conservative-leaning court with more voting rights cases to come. This case could ultimately weaken the landmark Voting Rights Act by making it easier for states to defend against claims of racial gerrymandering....

With midterm elections only a few weeks away, political groups on and off campus are working to mobilize student voters — a demographic that saw historic levels of voter turnout in the 2020 election.  Margaret Easley, vice president of Tulane College Democrats, said the group aims to get people registered to vote for upcoming elections and make sure they have all the resources they need. Additionally, College Democrats President Darcy Schleifsteinsaid the group strategizes as to where student votes will count the most.  ...

WASHINGTON — About 100 Louisiana students gathered Tuesday in the plaza in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as the nine justices considered whether Alabama’s congressional election maps meet the standards of the Voting Rights Act — a case that’s nearly identical to one from Louisiana....

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — On Tuesday, The U.S. Supreme Court took up the case of the congressional maps for Alabama, which will have major implications for the Voting Rights Act and Louisiana’s case that awaits a hearing. Advocates rallied at the state capitol to push for a second majority-minority district. The Republican majority of the Louisiana Legislature voted to pass congressional maps that kept only one majority-minority district, anchored both in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The case, if it violated the Voting Rights Act now rests with the U.S. Supreme Court. Advocates at home are continuing their push for the map to be overturned....

Statewide, LA –  Yesterday,  Monday, September 26, 2022, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) started an on the ground canvassing initiative in major cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Alexandria and Lake Charles. The campaign is part of a statewide Get Out and Vote (GOTV) strategy currently underway ahead of the November 8, 2022 Primary Congressional election. In the beginning of September, PCEJ onboarded over 100 phone bankers and canvassers statewide to help register voters and educate about key ballot initiatives. ...

International Democracy Day came and went this year with barely a whisper, but a quartet of human rights and community advocates from Alabama and Louisiana took the opportunity to reflect on the challenges to achieving America’s promise of equity and fairness.  Among those challenges are the flurry of adverse rulings in redistricting cases soon to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court....

International Democracy Day came and went this year with barely a whisper, but a quartet of human rights and community advocates from Alabama and Louisiana took the opportunity to reflect on the challenges to achieving America’s promise of equity and fairness.   Among those challenges are the flurry of adverse rulings in redistricting cases soon to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court....

The briefing also comes a week before National Voter Registration Day, which is held annually on Sept. 20. Alabama Values and Spotlight PR LLC are scheduled to host a media briefing discussing “the state of democracy in the U.S” this upcoming Thursday, according to a release sent on Monday. The meeting is planned to coincide with the International Day of Democracy: a day put aside by the United Nations General Assembly in November of 2017 in an effort “to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies” globally, according to the resolution. The briefing also comes a week before National Voter Registration Day, which is held annually on Sept. 20....

For Immediate Release: Saturday, July 19, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  CEO and founder of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), Ashley Shelton, released the following statement with the amicus brief filing in support of the plaintiffs in the Robinson v. Ardoin case: “Paul Weiss and Southern Coalition for Social Justice submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Power Coalition and the individuals and organizations who serve as plaintiffs in the case, Robinson v. Ardoin. The goal of the brief was to fully explain and break down the ongoing necessity of the Voting Rights Act. We have an opportunity now to fight and ensure we preserve voting rights for everyone and continue to build a multiracial democracy that meets the needs of all American people, but particularly Black Louisianans, who have not had a true voice for too long. The history Louisiana has with suppressing Black voting power continues to...

For Immediate Release: Saturday, June 18, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  Yesterday, June 17, 2022, a decision from the 19th Judicial District Court determined the previously ratified nine member plan, SB 22, voted on by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (EBRPSB) during the Redistricting Special Meeting to be in violation of Louisiana law. Based on a ruling made by the State District Judge Tarvald Smith, the EBRPSB and the Secretary of State are prohibited from using SB 22 in the upcoming fall elections. The EBRPSB must now choose to use the Ware-Collins 1-11 plan that would expand the number of districts and add a majority-minority district, or meet to submit another plan in accordance with Louisiana law and the Federal Voting Rights Act.  The EBRPSB has until June 22, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. to decide a plan of action either way.  This is a celebrated win for the Power...

A judge in Baton Rouge ruled Friday that new election maps approved last month are illegal and is giving the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board until 8 a.m. Wednesday to come up with new maps — or he will implement a rival set of maps that would likely flip the board’s racial balance to majority-Black....

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A federal judge will redraw the state’s congressional map after state lawmakers abruptly ended a special session two days early. Saturday afternoon members of the Louisiana legislature decided there was no more moving forward with work to redraw the state’s congressional map. Dillard University political analyst Robert Collins says, “I think we were surprised by the abrupt ending because we thought they would at least go through the motions and pretend to follow the judge’s order but no one is surprised by the result.” On June 6, Federal Judge Shelly Dick ordered the special session saying lawmakers needed to add a second majority-black district or else she would redraw the map herself. Just four days into the six-day special session, talks grinded to a halt....

***PRESS STATEMENT*** For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  CEO and founder of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), Ashley Shelton, released the following statement ahead of the Redistricting Special Session scheduled Today, June 15, 2022: “This moment is an important one for the people of Louisiana. They have been standing up and speaking throughout this process. They ensured representation in the 2020 Census. There was unprecedented participation in the 2021 redistricting process from communities throughout the state. They gave endless testimony at the redistricting roadshows and the redistricting special session. The fight for fair representation in Louisiana has been a journey, but the people have used their voice clearly to demand change. I urge the legislators to do what is right for the people. We know transformational change is a marathon, not a sprint. The people have been patient. The Chief U.S. District Judge Shelly...

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – On Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards called for a special legislative session in Baton Rouge to redraw the state’s congressional district maps before the upcoming election. The governor’s decision comes after a federal judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit claiming the maps do not accurately represent the state’s population....

Federal Court Rules in Favor of Plaintiffs to Block Enacted Congressional Map  For Immediate Release: June 6, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  On Monday, June 6, 2022, a decision was made in favor of Black voters to block Louisiana’s enacted congressional map in Robinson v. Ardoin, the case challenging Louisiana’s congressional map in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As a result of the ruling made by Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana, a new map with two majority-minority districts will need to be drawn for the upcoming elections.   The plaintiffs, Black Louisiana voters, and Louisiana nonprofit organizations that promote civic engagement and social equity, including Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Louisiana State Conference, Press Robinson, Edgar Cage, Dorothy Nairne, Edwin Rene Soule, Alice Washinton, Clee Ernest Lowe, Davante Lewis,...

Louisiana legislators are going to have to return to the drawing board and come up with new maps that allow the possibility of a second minority congressperson to be elected in Louisiana, according to a 151-page ruling Monday by Chief U.S. Middle District of Louisiana Judge Shelly Dick in Baton Rouge. Dick’s ruling enjoined Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin – the defendant in the case – from holding congressional elections under the new map drawn by the GOP lawmakers earlier this year and enacted into law over the governor’s veto in March....

The judge ordered the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature to redraw the map to include a second district that gives Black voters the chance to elect a candidate of their choice. A federal judge ruled on Monday that Louisiana’s new congressional map represented a racial gerrymander and must be redrawn to include a second district that gives Black voters the chance to elect a candidate of their choice. The judge, Shelly D. Dick of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, ordered the State Legislature to produce a revised map of the state’s six congressional districts by June 20. She also directed the state to extend the filing deadline for House candidates, now set for June 22, to July 8....

In a dramatic turnaround from a month ago, the Jefferson Parish School Board opted Wednesday night to stick with the same nine-district alignment it has had since 2012. Last month, the board indicated — in a narrow 5-4 vote — that it intended to add two seats to the board and possibly double the number of majority-minority districts to four. The vote will have no effect on school attendance zones....

The Jefferson Parish School Board has published four redistricting proposals that the board will take up as it considers a generational shift that could add two new seats to the nine-member board. The four district maps published on the school district’s website include the current nine-member district alignment and three 11-seat options prepared by outside groups. The board is scheduled to vote on the proposals at its June 1 meeting....

by Terry Jones for The Advocate Creating a sixth majority-minority district on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council could be impossible.  While the city-parish’s racial demographics are pretty much 50/50 when it comes to the Black and White population, demographer Mike Hefner says the parish is still too geographically segregated to create the sixth majority-minority district that could even the power structure for the Black Democrats on the Metro Council going forward. ...

by Ariel Salk for BRPROUD BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — After five long days, arguments have wrapped up at the Middle District Court of Louisiana in the fight to challenge Louisiana’s congressional map. The evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction came to an end Friday. Civil rights groups argued the map is in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and that it “severely dilutes Black voting power.”...

For Immediate Release: Monday, May 13, 2022 BATON ROUGE, LA – Today, a five-day evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction came to a close in Robinson v. Ardoin, the case challenging Louisiana’s congressional map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the hearing, civil rights groups presented their case for enjoining the discriminatory map which severely dilutes Black voting power. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana will determine whether to block Louisiana’s enacted congressional map from being used in upcoming elections while litigation continues, which would require a new map be drawn that includes two majority-Black districts. On March 30, 2022, the Legal Defense Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and Louisiana Lawyers John Adcock and Tracie Washington filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference...

by Charles Lussier for The Advocate A challenge to Louisiana’s newly drawn congressional maps opened Monday in federal court, with a coalition of civil rights groups hoping judges will eventually do what legislators wouldn’t: create a second majority-Black district. ...

by Ariel Salk for BRPROUD BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The next step to challenge Louisiana’s congressional map happened Monday at the Middle District Court of Lousiana.  Civil rights groups are turning to the federal court, in what will be a week-long hearing, to block the congressional maps....

***MEDIA ADVISORY*** For Immediate Release: Monday, May 9, 2022 WHAT: An evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction is set to begin in Robinson v. Ardoin, the case challenging Louisiana’s Congressional map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the hearing, civil rights groups will present their case for enjoining the discriminatory map which severely dilutes Black voting power. On March 30, 2022, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and Louisiana Lawyers John Adcock and Tracie Washington filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and nine individual voters. The lawsuit was filed immediately after the Louisiana legislature voted on March 30, 2022 to overturn Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of the Congressional plan passed...

by Paula Jones for BRProud BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A group of local organizations are planning a Thursday evening rally at the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (EBR Schools) Office just prior to the Board’s 5 p.m. Public Hearing and Adoption/Ratification meeting. ...

In a seismic shift that will dramatically alter Louisiana’s largest public school system, the Jefferson Parish School Board plans to add two seats to the nine-member body, its first expansion since 1982, in an effort to increase minority representation....

Board is two thirds White, school system one third White by Faimon A. Robers, III for Nola.com The Jefferson School Board has had nine members for more than a generation, but a number of impassioned speakers urged the board Thursday night to redraw its election districts – and perhaps add more – to reflect the parish’s mixed demographics. ...

by Kaitlyn Joshua for the Bayou Progressive In case you hadn’t heard yet, on Thursday, April 7, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted to establish a 9 member plan at the Redistricting Special Meeting. Sure, a 9 member plan would have been an acceptable compromise if said plan resulted in a Black majority, but that was not at all the case with the 9-member map that was ultimately adopted. The plan that was adopted – on a starkly racial line vote – would keep the current number of board members, but would result in transforming the board from 5 likely-white districts and 4 likely-Black districts to effectively 6 likely-white districts and 3 likely-Black districts – in a school district that is more than 71% black, mind you. Considering the demographic shifts over the past decade in the Parish, voting for a map that so blatantly ignores that is an atrocity and is racist...

Setting up a likely lawsuit, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday voted along racial lines to give preliminary approval to a new election map likely to maintain the status quo of five White and four Black board members, even though the city’s White population has declined and its Black population has grown over the past decade. ...

Baton Rouge, LA– On April 7, 2022, the East Baton Rouge (EBR) School Board met at the School Board Office for a Redistricting Special Meeting to approve a final plan that will be ratified on May 5, 2022 and to go into effect with the November 8, 2022 School Board elections. With the redistricting vote up first on the agenda for the special meeting, things quickly deteriorated as white EBR School Board members ignored recommendations from their own hand-picked demographer and chose to approve a plan that diminishes minority representation.  The redistricting meeting, which was rescheduled due to weather, was well attended by education advocates, stakeholders, and independent redistricting experts who spent months providing input in support of a map proposed by board members Evelyn Ware-Jackson and Dawn Collins. The Ware-Jackson Collins plan would expand the number of districts and add a majority minority district. In a vote five to...

March 30, 2022 – Today, the Louisiana legislature voted to overturn Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of the Congressional map passed earlier this year, which failed to add a second majority-Black district. In response, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP filed a  lawsuit on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and individuals Press Robinson, Dorothy Nairne, E. René Soulé, Alice Washington, and Clee Ernest Lowe challenging the map as a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Section 2.   “The Congressional map passed by the Louisiana legislature in February rejected basic principles of fairness and equity,” said NAACP Louisiana State Conference President Michael McClanahan. “The legislature knew that they could pass a map that complied with the Voting Rights Act and honored...

Only a couple of hours after the Louisiana Legislature voted to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of a congressional map that didn’t expand minority representation, a lawsuit has been filed that claims the map violates federal law....

For Immediate Release: March 15, 2022  Today, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP filed a federal lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s congressional map. Filed on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and individuals Dorothy Nairne, E. René Soulé, Alice Washington, and Clee Ernest Lowe, the lawsuit alleges that Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of the congressional redistricting plan passed by the Louisiana State Legislature leaves in place a decade old map that, because of shifts in the state’s population, now violates the United State Constitution. The governor vetoed the plan passed by the legislature because it violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and dilutes the votes of Black Louisianans. During the redistricting session, the groups submitted several maps for...

The lawful and efficient exercise of Democracy in the United States depends on voters being able to freely choose their leaders. In spite of that ideal, every ten years we subvert that process and instead allow leaders to choose their voters. We call this process Redistricting. Parts of this process are necessary and proper. It is necessary every ten years to take Census data and re-balance voting populations so that districts have roughly equal populations. ...

On this day, 57 years ago, March 7, 1965, activists endured attacks and abuse crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge to demonstrate for equal voting rights. Their sacrifice and valiant efforts led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed the right to vote for all Americans, regardless of their color of their skin....

Dear Governor Edwards, On behalf of the below signatories, we write to thank you for doing what is right and fair by vetoing the racially discriminatory and illegal Congressional map passed by the state legislature. By failing to pass maps that increase representation for Black Louisianians and other communities of color, the Legislature ignored the law, the Census numbers, and the will of thousands of community members who made their voices heard during the redistricting process. Your veto was necessary to ensure the Congressional districts in place for the next decade reflect Louisiana’s vibrant and diverse communities and uphold the principles of a fair, inclusive, and representative democracy. The math is clear. According to the most recent Census, over the past 10 years, Louisiana’s Black population increased while the white population decreased. Though Louisiana’s voting population is 1/3 Black, the Congressional map passed by the Legislature only provided an opportunity...

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2022  Baton Rouge, LA– Wednesday evening, Governor John Bel Edwards announced the decision to veto the congressional redistricting map drawn by the Louisiana Legislature. Gov. Edwards stated the map did not add a second majority-minority district and did not meet federal law compliance requirements.  “I thank Governor Edwards for listening and taking a stand with the thousands of Louisianians that came out and participated in the entire redistricting process,” says Ashley Shelton, CEO of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “Countless voters engaged around redistricting, sharing extensive testimony on the importance of fair and equitable representation and the need for an additional majority-minority district given that 33 percent of the state’s population is Black. You [the people] helped us see this moment, and while it is a moment to celebrate we also know the fight is not over yet.” Power Coalition for Equity and Justice...

By Ashley Shelton Originally published in Truthout.org The Louisiana Senate recently continued the state’s long history of racial oppression by voting down Sen. Cleo Fields’s congressional redistricting map. What’s more, the Louisiana House voted down Rep. Randal Gaines’s congressional redistricting map. Gaines is a veteran and civil rights attorney who represents one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ida (river parishes), and Fields is an attorney and former congressman. Gaines’s and Fields’s proposals included two majority-minority districts (electoral districts where the majority of the constituents are people of color) giving them an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice — something Black voters in the state advocated for. Since the Black population has grown in Louisiana, an additional seat representing this shift is warranted, just and fair. But in Louisiana, as in other parts of the country, map drawers are refusing to create new electoral opportunities for communities of color....

Redistricting is how state and local governments redraw their political lines. Every 10 years following the Census, political maps are redrawn to account for population shifts. A Redistricting is supposed to ensure equal representation. However, the process is filled with controversy as tactics such as gerrymandering are utilized to influence future elections or maintain political power....

If you’ve ever wanted proof of the old French adage, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” you need look no further than the Louisiana Legislature’s ham-fisted way of redrawing district maps after a decennial census....

Throughout the last six months, thousands of community members and fair redistricting advocacy groups have come together to shed light on the importance of a fair and equitable redistricting process. As the final Redistricting Roadshow concludes on January 20th, a misleading narrative has emerged: the Louisiana redistricting process should remain the same since its inception and not look at race. ...

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2021  Lake Charles, LA– On Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at the Tritico Theater at McNeese State University, legislators will continue the Redistricting Roadshow at 5:30 P.M. CST. This is the final stop on the roadshow in 2021. This is an opportunity for legislators to hear comments and testimony from the public about the redistricting process.   Political Redistricting happens every 10 years after the census and is an opportunity to draw new political district boundaries based on population changes. The goal of redistricting is to create equitable and competitive political districts. Historically, Louisiana communities of color have had little say in the way their communities are mapped or represented. Despite the state being over ⅓ people of color, only 1 of 6 Congressional districts are represented by a person of color.  Community members can attend the Redistricting Roadshow to learn more about the redistricting process, testify...

Power Coalition Makes Redistricting Grants to Encourage Equitable Redistricting Process For Immediate Release: December 6, 2021  New Orleans, LA– Power Coalition for Equity and Justice is providing mini-grants to support small nonprofit organizations, churches, social clubs, and neighborhood groups across the state organizing their communities around the redistricting process. The grants support hosting community listening sessions, town halls, text and phone banks, and mobilizing communities for a fair and just redistricting process. “Redistricting has been a north star for our equity work,” says Power Coalition Founder and CEO Ashley Shelton. “When people live in fair and equitable political districts they are more likely to be able to elect candidates of choice and make sure that their voices are heard and their needs are reflected.” Despite having a population that is over 31% Black and increasing populations of color across the state, the majority of Louisiana’s elected officials are white. Louisiana...

COVINGTON — State lawmakers on Tuesday heard from many north shore residents who were eager to have new political maps drawn and said they no longer want to be represented by a congressional district that is concentrated in the New Orleans suburbs south of Lake Pontchartrain. ...

For Immediate Release: November 9, 2021  Alexandria, LA– On Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at the LSU Alexandria Ballroom, legislators will continue the Redistricting Roadshow at 5:30 P.M. CST. This is the 4th stop on the roadshow where legislators hear comments and testimony from the public about the redistricting process.   Political Redistricting happens every 10 years after the census and is an opportunity to draw new political district boundaries based on population changes. The goal of redistricting is to create equitable and competitive political districts. Historically, Louisiana communities of color have had little say in the way their communities are mapped or represented.  Community members can attend the Redistricting Roadshow to learn more about the redistricting process and can testify about communities of interest and how they would like to see political districts drawn in their area.  “The Redistricting Roadshow is an opportunity for individuals and communities to engage their legislators...

Ashley Shelton, Executive Director of the Power Coalition of Equity & Justice, discusses redistricting in Louisiana. By Ashley K. Shelton Originally published in Word in Black When any storm makes its way into the Gulf, one of my greatest fears is always that history will repeat itself. An overwhelming sense of concern came over me as I watched Hurricane Ida grow in strength and head into the Gulf. I thought to myself, “This cannot be happening again.” I have been organizing at the local, state, and federal levels for more than 16 years. I have seen a clear pattern from my work in disaster recovery that communities of color are often left behind in the recovery process. For those of us in Louisiana, we will not let history repeat itself. We can no longer live in a long-term state of resiliency, and we must change the pattern of never being made whole...

A coalition of major civil rights organizations demanded Monday that Louisiana legislators redraw election districts to increase the chance that a second Black person can be elected to Congress....

Redistricting is the hot topic at the State Capitol these days, and it should be. The outcome of the redistricting special session, which is tentatively set for February, will impact almost every government decision for the next decade....

A coalition of major civil rights organizations demanded Monday that Louisiana legislators redraw election districts to allow for the chance that a second Black person can be elected to Congress....