The Supreme Court has lifted its hold on a Louisiana case that could force the state to redraw congressional districts to boost Black voting power. Monday’s order follows the court’s rejection earlier in June of a congressional redistricting map in Alabama and unfreezes the Louisiana case, which had been on hold pending the Alabama decision. In both states, Black voters are a majority in just one congressional district. Lower courts had ruled the maps raised concerns that Black voting power had been diluted. The justices put the Louisiana case on hold and allowed the state’s challenged map to be used in last year’s elections after agreeing to hear the Alabama case. The case had separately been appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The justices said that appeal now could go forward in advance of next year’s congressional elections.
Alabama lawmakers will hold their first meeting this week to determine what the state’s new congressional map should look like. The chairmen of the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment released a schedule for hearings on Wednesday. A three-judge panel last week gave lawmakers until July 21 to adopt a new congressional map. The deadline comes after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the panel’s finding that Alabama unlawfully diluted the influence of Black voters by drawing a map with only one majority-Black district. The reapportionment committee set a June 27 public hearing, a July 7 deadline to submit plans to the committee, and another public hearing for July 13.
