NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana is quite literally back to the drawing board. The Supreme Court has paved the way for Louisiana to re-draw its congressional maps to better reflect its voting population.
But the court arguments aren’t over. The case now gets kicked back to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. As soon as the next few weeks, lawyers will make their arguments on both sides.
But unlike last year when this was in the Louisiana court system, there’s legal precedent.
Supreme Court Justices ruled in Allen v. Milligan that Alabama’s congressional maps violated the Voting Rights Act. There are many parallels between that case and the case in Louisiana.
So, who draws the new district map? If the case is handed back to District Court, it could fall to Judge Shelly Dick, who rejected maps drawn up by Louisiana lawmakers last June. She could ask lawmakers once again to re-draw them.
Plaintiffs would like there to be a new map in place by the next midterm election in Fall 2024. It will likely put Representative Julia Letlow’s congressional seat in jeopardy.
Political experts say the Supreme Court’s ruling in Alabama could allow for other states to re-draw congressional maps as well.