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Federal judges give Louisiana lawmakers a third chance to draw congressional boundaries
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BATON ROUGE — Three federal judges said Tuesday they want Louisiana lawmakers to take a third crack at drawing congressional district maps for the 2024 election, noting that courts have long believed states hold primary responsibility for setting their own political boundaries.
The judges had ruled last week that a map lawmakers approved in January included "an impermissible racial gerrymander" when it created two majority-Black districts among Louisiana's six districts. After a hearing Monday, the panel set a new timetable for the Legislature to develop a new plan.
The court rejected Secretary of State Nancy Landry's May 15 deadline for a set of maps. The judges noted that, during oral arguments in a related case last year, Landry's office said Louisiana could be "adequately prepared" for an election if it had the maps in hand by the end of May.
But despite the judges specifically citing that 2023 hearing, Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement saying the judges had ignored testimony, and added that Louisiana would go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Louisiana lawmakers are scheduled to meet until June 3, and the court said Tuesday that they could have until then to develop a third plan.
"Accordingly, if the Louisiana Legislature fails to enact a new map by June 3, 2024, the court intends to order the use of an interim remedial Congressional districting map on June 4, 2024," the judges said in an order that each signed.
"Even when a federal court finds that a redistricting plan violates federal law, Supreme Court precedent dictates that the state legislature have the first opportunity to draw a new map," the judges wrote.
"Only when 'those with legislative responsibilities do not respond, or the imminence of a state election makes it impractical for them to do so, (does) it become ... the unwelcome obligation of the federal court to devise and impose a reapportionment plan pending later legislative action,'" they said.
In anticipation of the lawmakers perhaps not coming up with a map, the court asked each party and intervenor to submit one map by May 17 and include evidence to support it. A week later, each party can file a single response commenting on the other proposals.
On May 30, the court will hear arguments in Lafayette federal court, but will not accept additional evidence, the judges said.
U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick tossed out the Legislature's first attempt at a congressional map, ruling districts diluted Black voting strength. Only one of the six seats was majority Black even though Blacks make up nearly one-third of the state's population.
Legislators in a special session this adopted a new plan that included a majority-Black district that stretched from Baton Rouge to Shreveport. Two judges on the three-judge panel said it relied too heavily on race, to the detriment of other voters in the parishes involved.
Click here to read the entire order.
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