NEW ORLEANS — Governor John Bel Edwards is having an “I told you so” moment right now. Last year, Republican lawmakers overrode his veto of Louisiana’s new congressional districts.
Edwards said Louisiana should have two majority-Black districts, not one. The math is easy: we have 6 districts, and Black citizens are one-third of the population.
Less than 3 weeks ago, the Supreme Court struck down Alabama’s congressional map, which also had only 1 Black district. And yesterday, the justices sent Louisiana’s plan back to the lower courts, rejecting Attorney General Jeff Landry’s argument that our plan is not like Alabama’s.
Actually, Landry is correct. Louisiana’s plan is different than Alabama’s. It’s worse, because Black citizens comprise only 20% of Alabama’s population.
This fight is far from over, but the math is not gonna change.