Supreme Court to rule on Louisiana's controversial racial gerrymandering case
- The Supreme Court is reviewing Louisiana's congressional map which has been challenged for potentially being a racial gerrymander.
- The map was created after a federal court ruling mandated the incorporation of a new majority-Black district.
- The outcome of this case will have significant implications for future redistricting practices across the United States.
In March 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed a contentious case involving Louisiana's congressional map, which has undergone significant changes post-2020 census. Originally, the map contained only one majority-Black district, despite the state's Black population representing roughly one-third of its electorate. Civil rights groups challenged the original map under the Voting Rights Act, leading to a federal court ruling that mandated an additional majority-Black district. The newly drawn map, however, was contested by a group of non-Black voters who claimed it violated the Equal Protection Clause, describing it as a form of racial gerrymandering. This legal battle has highlighted tensions in adhering to both federal law and political considerations in districting, with the state arguing that race should not be a primary factor while still needing to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The outcome of the Supreme Court's decision is expected by June 2025, and it has the potential to impact future redistricting efforts nationwide, setting precedents concerning the balance of race and political power in district maps.