Current:Home > InvestFederal appeals court refuses to reconsider ruling on Louisiana’s congressional map-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Federal appeals court refuses to reconsider ruling on Louisiana’s congressional map
View Date:2024-12-23 18:41:05
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court refused Friday to reconsider its ruling giving the Louisiana Legislature until Jan. 15 to enact a new congressional map after a lower court found that the current political boundaries dilute the power of the state’s Black voters.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request by Louisiana’s Republican secretary of state and other state officials to have a larger set of judges rehear the Nov. 10 decision by a three-judge panel.
That panel said if the Legislature does not pass a new map by mid-January, then the lower court should conduct a trial and “decide on a plan for the 2024 elections.”
The political tug-of-war and legal battle over Louisiana’s GOP-drawn congressional map has been going on for more than a year and a half.
Louisiana is among states still wrangling over congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that Alabama had violated the Voting Rights Act.
Louisiana’s current map, which was used in the November congressional election, has white majorities in five of six districts — despite Black people accounting for one-third of the state’s population.
Republicans, who dominate Louisiana’s Legislature, say that the map is fair. They argue that Black populations in the state are too dispersed to be united into a second majority Black district.
Democrats argue that the map discriminates against Black voters and that there should be two majority-minority districts. Currently, five of the six districts are held by Republicans. Another mostly Black district could deliver a second congressional seat to Democrats.
Louisiana officials cited a recent decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in their petition for a new hearing before the 5th Circuit. In a 2-1 decision last month, the 8th Circuit said private individuals and groups such as the NAACP do not have the ability to sue under a key section of the Voting Rights Act. The decision, which contradicted decades of precedent, could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law.
veryGood! (51)
Related
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Ready to File for Divorce From Mauricio Umansky? She Says...
- Dockworkers’ union suspends strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract
- Wreckage of World War II ship that served with the US and Japan found near California
- AP Week in Pictures: Global
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- The Fate of That '90s Show Revealed After Season 2
- Detroit bus driver gets 6 months in jail for killing pedestrian
- Why Andrew Garfield Doesn't Think He Wants Kids
- Song Jae-lim, Moon Embracing the Sun Actor, Dead at 39
- Blake Shelton Shares Unseen Photos of “Favorite Girl” Gwen Stefani on Her Birthday
Ranking
- US Diplomats Notch a Win on Climate Super Pollutants With Help From the Private Sector
- Helene death toll may rise; 'catastrophic damage' slows power restoration: Updates
- Antonio Pierce handed eight-year show cause for Arizona State recruiting violations
- The Country’s Second-Largest Coal Plant May Get a Three-Year Reprieve From Retirement. Why?
- Taylor Swift drops Christmas merchandise collection, including for 'Tortured Poets' era
- Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark a near-unanimous choice as WNBA’s Rookie of the Year
- Singer El Taiger Found With Gunshot Wound to the Head in Miami
- Tesla recalls over 27,000 Cybertrucks for rearview camera issue that could increase crash risk
Recommendation
-
Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert Details “Full Circle” Reunion With Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried
-
TikToker Mr. Prada Charged With Second-Degree Murder After Therapist Was Found Dead
-
On the road: Plenty of NBA teams mixing the grind of training camp with resort life
-
Love Is Blind's AD Smith and Love Is Blind UK’s Ollie Sutherland Fuel Romance Rumors With Dinner Outing
-
Report: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence could miss rest of season with shoulder injury
-
As search for Helene’s victims drags into second week, sheriff says rescuers ‘will not rest’
-
Nikki Garcia Gets Restraining Order Against Ex Artem Chigvintsev After Alleged Fight
-
Black man details alleged beating at the hands of a white supremacist group in Boston