Louisiana Lawmakers Pass Map That Cuts to One Black District
Is this a victory for equal protection or a blow to Black political representation?
Above: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2025. Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
SCOTUS struck down racial gerrymandering as unconstitutional, affirming that race has no place in drawing congressional maps, and these maps adhere to that guidance. Louisiana's new map ends the manipulation of district lines under a twisted reading of the Voting Rights Act. Equal protection under the law means race-neutral redistricting.
Democratic narrative
This map guts Black political representation in a state where nearly one in three residents is Black. Framing this as partisan redistricting is a fig leaf. When 80% of the Republican Party in Louisiana is white, targeting Democratic voters is a racial calculation. The fight to restore fair representation is far from over.
