Congressional Black Caucus: New Louisiana maps a ‘win for Black voters’

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is applauding a new congressional map in Louisiana that restores Black political power. 

“In a win for Black voters, the Louisiana State Legislature approved a new congressional map which will create a second majority-Black district in the state,” the CBC said in a Tuesday statement. The caucus added that the new map was the result of “a years-long legal fight.”

That fight began after a federal court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map drawn with 2020 census data violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

In 2022, former Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoed a set of maps passed by the state Legislature. At the time, Edwards argued the maps violated the Voting Rights Act because there was only one majority-Black district.

Though the veto was overridden by the state Legislature, a federal judge later ordered a new map be drawn with a second majority-Black district. 

But the Supreme Court paused the ruling and allowed the map to be used in the 2022 midterms. 

However, a federal appeals court ruled the Legislature must create a second majority-Black district by mid-January. 

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill Monday approving the new congressional map. 

Though a win for voting rights, the CBC said it plans to continue battling what they call attacks on the Voting Rights Act. 

“While this decision follows a trend we have seen in several southern states including Georgia and Alabama, the Voting Rights Act is very much under attack,” the CBC said. “As such, the CBC will not stop fighting to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.”