BATON ROUGE – Legislators are heading into a special session over controversial congressional maps, the Governor said Tuesday. 

In his notice to legislators, Governor Edwards said the maps must provide an additional majority Black district.

Monday, a federal judge has told lawmakers they must re-draw the maps after an attempt earlier this year.

In March, civil rights groups filed a lawsuit arguing the maps violated the Voting Rights Act by not including more minority districts.  The groups argued the re-drawn maps – required after the Census – diluted political power of Black voters.  The re-drawn maps had only minor changes from Louisiana’s current congressional map.

Progressives pushed, but failed to get, a map with a second majority-Black district among the six.

Leaders of Louisiana’s state House and Senate have appealed the ruling to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The special session will begin June 15.