Louisiana lawmakers eliminate majority-Black district to gain GOP House seat

Louisiana Republicans, emboldened by the Supreme Court's April 2026 ruling that weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, have passed a congressional map that eliminates one of the state's two majority-Black districts—both currently held by Democrats. The new map reconfigures District 2 (currently represented by Democrat Troy Carter) to dilute Black voting power, packing Black voters into a single district while spreading others across overwhelmingly white, Republican-leaning seats.

The mechanism is blunt: by reducing Black voters from 54% to roughly 37% in the targeted district, the map ensures that district will likely elect a Republican. This isn't just partisan gerrymandering—it's a racially targeted dismantling of a protected district that existed precisely because Louisiana has a history of diluting Black votes. The map passed under the pretext of complying with the Supreme Court's ‘colorblind’ reading of the law, but the effect is unmistakable: Black voters, who make up 33% of Louisiana's population, will have only one seat out of six—a 17% share, half their demographic weight.

The harm extends beyond one election. By eliminating a majority-Black district, the map reduces Black Louisianians' ability to elect candidates of their choice, weakens their legislative leverage on issues like Medicaid expansion, school funding, and criminal justice reform, and signals to other Republican-controlled states that racial gerrymandering is now legally permissible provided it’s framed as race-neutral. Governor Jeff Landry is expected to sign the map into law, underscoring a coordinated push nationwide to resegregate political power under cover of judicial rulings.