BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Hundreds gathered at Louisiana’s State Capitol for a voters’ rights rally during the legislature’s special session, advocating for the maintenance of the state’s current congressional map to ensure fair representation. The demonstration coincided with a special legislative session where lawmakers were urged to uphold voting rights, particularly for Black voters, in light of a recent court ruling affirming fair representation. “Representation is core to citizenship,” said Ashley Shelton of the Power of Coalition for Equity and Justice. “You cannot have full citizenship if your values and the things you care about are not showing up in the halls of Congress.” Congressman Cleo Fields emphasized the importance of the Voting Rights Act....

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...

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...

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)....

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....

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SHREVEPORT, LA, August 4, 2023 —A new mural commissioned by the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, titled “The Power of the Ballot” by local muralist KaDavien Baylor will be unveiled at the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity House in Shreveport on August 16, 2023, at 6:00 PM. This piece of art pays tribute to local and national civil rights leaders who pioneered the battle for African American voting rights in Shreveport, providing a significant reminder of past struggles and progress achieved. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Cultural Crossroads, a non-profit committed to preserving and promoting BIPOC cultural and artistic expression, hosted the Artspreneur: The Business of Art Conference in Baton Rouge last March. The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice granted four artists micro commissions themed “Your Voice, Your Vote, Your Power.”  The awardees selected by conference attendees were KaDavien Baylor of Shreveport, David Jones II...

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....