The Supreme Court has deferred making a decision regarding the constitutionality of Louisiana’s congressional map, which was enacted last year and introduced a second majority-Black district. In an unexpected decision, the justices have announced that they will revisit the matter during the 2025-26 term, likely in the fall, without offering an explanation for this delay. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, emphasizing the court’s obligation to promptly address such challenges.
The case has its origins in Louisiana’s 2022 congressional map, following the 2020 census. This map allocated only one majority-Black district out of six, despite approximately one-third of the state’s population being Black. Black voters contended that the map violated Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting their voting power, prompting a federal district court to nullify the 2022 map and mandate a new one featuring a second majority-Black district.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit affirmed this ruling and set a deadline of January 15, 2024, for Louisiana to provide a new map, with the possibility of court intervention if the deadline was not met. In response, Louisiana enacted a new map known as S.B. 8, adding a second majority-Black district. However, this map led to additional litigation from voters who claimed it constituted an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, an argument upheld by a three-judge federal court.
Last year, the Supreme Court stayed the lower court’s decision, permitting Louisiana to utilize the S.B. 8 map for the 2024 elections. Both the state and the Black voters who had challenged the initial map appealed to the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in March. Upcoming arguments during the next term are expected to yield a decision in 2026.
For further details on the case, see the original report by SCOTUSblog.