u/Forsaken_Thought

https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2026/05/19/louisiana-republican-party-defends-governor-jeff-landry-and-attorney-general-against-recall/90156042007/

The Louisiana Republican Party is rallying to defeat recall petitions against Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill with a "You Don't Recall" social media campaign launched May 18.

“It’s ridiculous that liberals want to recall the governor and attorney general for simply doing the job they were elected to do,” Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Derek Babcock said. “This radical left political stunt is doomed to fail. While they focus on political theater, we’re reminding the people of Louisiana what real results look like.”

Baton Rouge residents Marian Gbaiwon Hills and Katilyn P. Stepter have filed separate recall petitions against Landry and Murrill as part of their "Louisiana Deserves Better" campaign.

Their petitions filed this month were triggered by Landry's and Murrill's support of reducing Louisiana's majority Black congressional districts from two to one, among other issues.

They accuse Landry of conducting a “pattern of actions and statements that undermine fair representation.”

Their filing against Murrill accuse her of a "lack of fairness and accountability, using taxpayer dollars to push personal religious and political agendas, pushing religion into public schools, undermining the voices of voters in majority-Black communities and government overreach into women's healthcare decisions."

Babcock said the GOP counter campaign will "feature daily posts spotlighting key results in public safety, education, tax relief, economic growth and protecting children and families."

A statewide recall petition requires the petitioners and their supporters to secure signatures from 20% of active registered voters to trigger a recall election.

That amounts to about 500,000 signatures from Louisiana's 2.5 million active registered voters.

They have a deadline of 180 days to secure the required number of signatures.

All signatures must be original and handwritten. Each parish registrar of voters will verify signatures submitted in their jurisdiction. The petition will become part of the public record 90 days after the first signature is filed.

https://www.wrkf.org/2026-05-17/louisiana-teachers-face-pay-cut-after-voters-reject-plan-to-drain-education-trust-funds

Louisiana voters rejected Constitutional Amendment 3 on Saturday’s ballot, which would have funded a pay raise for teachers and support staff.

Of the 799,130 votes cast in the election, 58% of voters rejected the amendment.

Amendment 3 would have indirectly financed pay raises — $2,250 for teachers and $1,125 for support staff — by draining the state’s education trust funds.

While the state’s largest teachers' unions supported the amendment, some educators opposed the measure, and some union affiliates remained neutral as a result.

“Members want a traditionally funded raise that they feel the state owes them after years of stipends,” said Brant Osborne, St. Tammany’s union president, at a recent school board meeting. “They don't want something to come at what they view as the expense of kids.”

The money would have been used to pay off debt in the state’s teacher retirement system early, and schools would have been required to use the resulting savings to cover raises.

The trust funds support education initiatives in the state from early through higher education. While lawmakers have promised to keep those programs intact, their future isn’t protected or guaranteed.

Further complicating the vote was a campaign led by some left-leaning groups to reject all five amendments to protest Gov. Jeff Landry’s decision to cancel U.S. House races. All of the amendments failed.

Prior to the vote, Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, told reporters that if the amendment failed, the legislature did not plan to add funding to this year’s budget for another one-time stipend.

That means educators are effectively facing a pay cut — $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for support staff — unless lawmakers change their minds.

Another stipend would run the state $200 million, likely a difficult sell as the state responds to a drop in revenue, after lowering taxes in 2025.

Landry is also pushing for an additional $44 million for the state’s school voucher program, though Henry has said he plans to block the request.

https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/view_newsletter.aspx?id=100499&c=LA06CF

REDISTRICTING INFORMATIONAL TOWN HALL SERIES
with Congressman Cleo Fields

TUESDAY, MAY 5 | 5:30 PM
ALEXANDRIA – MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH
1116th Street, Alexandria, LA 71301

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 | 5:30 PM
LAFAYETTE – CLIFTON CHENIER CENTER – AUDITORIUM
220 W Willow Street, Building A, Lafayette, LA 70501

THURSDAY, MAY 7 | 5:30 PM
BATON ROUGE – BRCC MAGNOLIA THEATER
201 Community College Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70806

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/04/nx-s1-5810510/supreme-court-mifepristone-appeals-telehealth

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday put a one-week hold on major changes to how the abortion pill mifepristone can be prescribed.

On Friday, an appeals court had said the Food and Drug Administration needed to revert to rules that the pills, part of a two-drug regimen for medication abortion, must be prescribed only in-person. The change was effective immediately for the whole country.

The appeals court order meant that mifepristone could not be prescribed via telehealth or sent through the mail; Alito's order reverses that for one week.

Alito responded to a request for emergency relief filed by the two companies that make mifepristone. He blocked the appeals court's decision from going into affect until next Monday, May 11, at 5 p.m.

Alito also asked all the parties in the ongoing lawsuit brought by the state of Louisiana to file briefs by Thursday, May 7, at 5 pm.

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/louisiana-has-delayed-its-house-elections-whats-next/article_7d439ca1-c48e-5244-b989-74ebe029324f.html

The process of redrawing Louisiana’s Congressional districts could begin as soon as Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the voting map and Gov. Jeff Landry put the brakes on that looming vote.

State senators say they have been holding feverish talks behind the scenes to devise a plan to address the ruling last week that Louisiana’s House congressional map is unconstitutional because it relied too heavily on race when it was drawn. On Thursday, saying he would not allow Louisiana to vote on an illegal map, Landry declared an emergency that canceled the May 16 primary for the six U.S. House elections.

A key person in what happens next is state Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen. He is both the chair of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee — which is where the redistricting bills will likely start — and sponsor of one of those bills.

“I’m sure we’re going to have fireworks somewhere,” Kleinpeter said.

On Friday, Kleinpeter said he hopes his committee will take public testimony and pass a redistricting bill on Wednesday, but he acknowledged that that plan may be too ambitious. Lawmakers would face a tighter timetable if the committee has to wait a week but would likely still have enough time since the regular legislative session doesn’t end until June 1.

The decisions have thrown Louisiana’s elections into disarray after absentee voting had already begun for the May 16 primary and just before a week of early voting began on Saturday.

These developments will mean new districts for Louisiana’s congressional delegation — which currently has four Republicans and two Democrats — unless one of several lawsuits that have just been filed gum up those plans. Together, these events have also spawned confusion and lots of questions. Here are the best answers we have so far.

What does Landry’s executive order mean for Louisiana’s House elections?

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Steve Scalise, Rep. Clay Higgins, Rep. Cleo Fields and Rep. Troy Carter are no longer running for reelection on May 16. The same goes for their challengers.

Landry’s move also voided the election for the 5th Congressional District seat that Rep. Julia Letlow is vacating to run for the Senate. That affects four Republicans running in that race: State Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, Sen. Blake Miguez of Erath and Misti Cordell of Monroe, who chairs the state Board of Regents. It also affects the lesser-known Democratic candidates. Who will draw the new congressional map?

State legislators carry out the redistricting duties, and the governor will have a major say because he will have to approve their map. Lawmakers won’t need a special session to carry out that work. Four legislators filed redistricting bills to be heard in the regular legislative session currently underway, in case the Supreme Court rejected the existing congressional map in time.

The bills to watch are on the Senate side, legislators said. State Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, has three bills, while Kleinpeter, Sen. Ed Price, D-Gonzales, and state Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville, have one each.

Under two of Morris’ bills, the Legislature would eliminate either Fields’ or Carter’s seat. Under his third bill, lawmakers would eliminate both majority-Black seats.

Kleinpeter described his bill as a “placeholder,” meaning he filed a bill just to have one that can be changed. Price’s bill would keep the current four-to-two partisan divide, meaning it stands little chance of passage in a Legislature with a Republican supermajority. Johnson’s bill would reimpose the previous congressional map with a 5-1 partisan split. When will the Legislature begin to redraw the congressional map?

If the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee adopts a new map on Wednesday, the full Senate might vote on that measure on Thursday. That bill would then pass to the House and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Several factors could push back that schedule. Kleinpeter said he is not only giving extra consideration to the views of Speaker Johnson, Scalise and Higgins in the redesign but also to four state Senate colleagues who are considering running for the House: Edmonds; Sen. Thomas Pressley, R-Shreveport; Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge; and Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe.

Edmonds is already campaigning for the 5th Congressional District seat. Pressly is eying a possible campaign for Speaker Johnson’s seat if Democrats win the House in November and Johnson then resigns. The same logic applies for Talbot with Scalise.

Cathey is looking at possibly running for the 5th Congressional District seat. Kleinpeter said he is asking the four senators to offer maps for their districts.

“I’m having to juggle a lot of different options,” he said.

Kleinpeter added he is not working with Miguez on a possible map. Miguez has angered his colleagues by running for the 5th Congressional District seat even though he lives no closer than 70 miles from the district. What will happen to Rep. Cleo Fields and Rep. Troy Carter?

It seems likely that one or both of them will lose their job.

It’s possible that the Legislature will draw a map that pits them against each other. Then the question would be whether it is weighted toward Baton Rouge (to favor Fields) or New Orleans (to favor Carter).

Kleinpeter indicated that he would favor a Baton Rouge-centric district – if the new map retains one Black-majority seat – because of the post-Katrina population shift to the capital city. But Senate President Cameron Henry, a Republican who represents both Jefferson and Orleans parishes, may favor a New Orleans-centric district to give his home area a greater voice in Washington. What is the new date for the congressional elections?

We don’t know that yet. But legislators indicate that it’s likely that they will return to the open primary system, meaning that candidates would qualify for the six House races in July or August and compete in a primary on Nov. 3. In any race where no one received at least 50% of the vote, the top two vote getters would compete in a runoff election in December. What does Landry’s executive order mean for the other races on the May 16 ballot?

Those elections will still be held. Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill say the Supreme Court ruling affected only the congressional elections, so the others will go forward as scheduled. The marquee election on the ballot pits U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy against state Treasurer John Fleming, Letlow and Mark Spencer, a business owner. Three candidates are competing in the Democratic primary: Gary Crockett, Nick Albares and Jamie Davis.

Two Republicans – Judge Blair Edwards and Judge Billy Burris – are facing off for a Louisiana Supreme Court seat that covers the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Two Democrats and two Republicans are running for the Public Service Commission seat held by term-limited Foster Campbell in a district that includes 24 parishes in north Louisiana. Five Republicans are running for the Public Service Commission seat held by term-limited Eric Skrmetta in a district that covers suburban New Orleans. Two Republicans are challenging Joseph Cao for his seat on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

As scheduled, voters will also decide whether to approve the five constitutional amendments.

Why are some conservatives upset with Landry and Murrill?

Talk show host Moon Griffon is among the loudest conservative voices blaming Landry and Murrill for the election confusion, because the two insisted that legislators redistrict the House seats in 2024 and create the district that Fields won at the expense of then-U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Republican.

“The state was never required to draw new congressional maps in the first place, and the map that was drawn looked like children with crayons had been given the assignment,” Graves posted on social media Wednesday.

Landry and Murrill said in 2024 that the Legislature had to draw the new congressional map because U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick was poised to do so. Political insiders said Landry targeted Graves because he supported a rival of Landry’s during the governor’s race.

What does the new election schedule mean for Graves?

Graves represented the Baton Rouge-based 6th Congressional District for 10 years until Landry and state legislators redrew the boundary lines in 2024 and gave him an unwinnable district. He didn’t run for reelection as a result.

If legislators draw him a more favorable district now, he would be the best-known candidate, and he’d have the most money, with $3.6 million leftover in his campaign account.

For now, Graves is trolling Landry and Murrill on social media for pushing the map redesign two years ago that cost him his district – and that the Supreme Court has now overturned. Graves said they need better lawyers and suggested they contact billboard trial lawyer Morris Bart.

https://apnews.com/article/congress-louisiana-primaries-supreme-court-03cdb6951d7fefb448bfd2f37f98c0ea

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s congressional primaries won’t be going forward as scheduled in May, as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a majority Black congressional district, the state’s top elected officials said Thursday.

Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that Wednesday’s high court ruling effectively prohibits the state from carrying out the primaries under the current districts. Early voting had been scheduled to begin Saturday in advance of the May 16 primary.

“The State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map,” Landry and Murrill said in the statement posted to social media. “We are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of State’s office to develop a path forward.”

The election suspension was denounced by some Democrats.

“This is going to cause mass confusion among voters -- Democrats, Republicans, white, Black, everybody,” said Louisiana state Sen. Royce Duplessis, a Democrat who represents the New Orleans area. “What they’re effectively doing is changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game. It’s rigging the system.”

Louisiana currently is represented in the U.S. House by four Republicans and two Democrats. A revised map could give Republicans a chance to pick up at least one more seat in the November midterm elections — adding to Republican gains elsewhere in an unusual national redistricting battle.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade, after each census. But President Donald Trump last year urged Texas Republicans to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterms. California Democrats reciprocated, and redistricting efforts soon cascaded across states.

On Wednesday, Florida became the latest state to redraw its U.S. House districts, adopting a new map backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that could give the GOP a chance at winning several additional seats.

The Florida vote occurred just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority issued a ruling that significantly weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act. The court said Louisiana officials had relied too heavily on race when drawing a congressional district that is represented by Democrat Cleo Fields.

After the 2020 census, Louisiana officials had drawn House voting district boundaries that maintained one Black majority district and five mostly white districts, in a state with a population that is about one-third Black.

A federal judge later struck down the map for violating the Voting Rights Act. And the following year the Supreme Court found that Alabama had to create its own second majority Black congressional district.

In response, Louisiana’s legislature and governor adopted a new House map in 2024 that created a second Black majority district. But that map also was subsequently challenged in court, leading to the most recent Supreme Court ruling.

After the ruling, Landry called U.S. House candidates on Wednesday and told them that primaries would most likely be stalled, according to Misti Cordell, a Republican running in a crowded race to fill U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’s vacated seat.

“It’s an inconvenience for a candidate for sure, but you know they want to do it right versus having to go through all this again,” Cordell said. She added that she appreciated the heads up before she and other candidates began “spending their war chest” during the final weeks leading up to Election Day.

Delaying an election is unusual but not unprecedented.

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, several states pushed back elections because of health concerns. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who led Louisiana at the time, twice postponed Louisiana’s presidential primary — ultimately resetting it from April 4 to July 11.

Louisiana’s elected Republican leaders are debating whether to call off the May 16 primary elections for the state’s six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, even though absentee ballots have been mailed out and early voting in the elections is scheduled to start Saturday.

The GOP leaders had indicated the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in a redistricting case would not alter their plans for the 2026 midterm elections. But after justices handed down a decision in their favor Wednesday, they are now looking at contingency plans to cancel or delay the party primary election until a new map can be drawn and used this year.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s existing congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in a ruling that might have national implications. The case in question, Callais v. Louisiana, challenged the legality of a second majority-Black congressional district the Louisiana Legislature, with a Republican majority, drew in 2024.

The Callais plaintiffs have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rush the release of a certified judgment, citing the need to redraw the map for the 2026 election cycle. According to their filing, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry, the state’s top election official, does not oppose their request.

The secretary of state has declined to comment on the Supreme Court decision, explaining that the litigation is still in progress.

In a news conference, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill seemed optimistic state lawmakers could adopt new congressional maps in time to be used this year. That scenario is complicated by the fact that absentee voting for primary elections on May 16 has already begun and early voting starts in just two days.

State lawmakers, who have long anticipated the Callais decision, are already discussing what to do about the pending elections.

Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, who chairs the Louisiana Senate committee that oversees redistricting, said he is working with legislative leadership and statewide elected officials to come up with a plan for the congressional races. He did not provide any specifics.

One possibility being discussed among lawmakers is canceling the party primaries for the U.S. House races. Kleinpeter said he believed this would require legislative action, and that there are currently some bills in play that could be amended to postpone the primaries. However, any action along these lines wouldn’t take place until after early voting starts Saturday, as lawmakers are not scheduled to meet Thursday, Friday and the House is out until Tuesday.

Sen. Royce Duplessis, a Black Democrat from New Orleans, questioned whether postponing the House primaries that are already underway would break the law.

“Legally, I don’t believe they can do that,” Duplessis said. “But in terms of fairness, I believe that it is absolutely wrong for them to even be thinking about undoing the election that has already been done.”

Duplessis said removing the U.S. House races from the May 16 election would cause mass confusion and be a waste of state dollars.

Canceling party primaries after votes have been cast could also be met with court challenges under federal law, said Michael Li, senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice, an organization that advocates for voting rights.

Yet Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, said he called off a vote Wednesday on one of his proposals, Senate Bill 49, in case lawmakers want to use it as a vehicle to cancel or postpone the U.S. House primaries.

His original bill would remove Board of Elementary and Secondary Education elections from the state’s semi-closed party primary system next year. It could be amended to scrap or postpone semi-closed primaries for this year’s U.S. House races, making it easier to hold those contests later in the year.

This is the first time since 2010 that Louisiana is holding party-specific primary elections, a deviation from its usual jungle primaries in which all candidates, regardless of party, are put on the same general election ballot.

In addition to U.S. House and Senate primaries, party-only elections will are on the May 16 ballot for single seats on the state school board and Louisiana Supreme Court and two positions on the Public Service Commission. There are also five constitutional amendments for voters to consider. None of those elections are expected to be moved even if the U.S. House primaries were delayed.

Postponing the U.S. House races could put Republicans vying for the open 5th Congressional District race in an uncomfortable position. Not only because the district, as it currently exists, is likely to be substantially altered, but also because they have invested significant sums in the races.

If lawmakers opt to cancel the primaries, Kleinpeter believes there is plenty of time left in the session to amend and approve a bill on congressional redistricting by the end of the session on June 1. Legislators have not yet reached a consensus on what the new boundaries will look like, he said.

They have the ability to eliminate one or both of Louisiana’s majority-Black districts, though eliminating both would likely make some of the districts uncomfortably competitive for long-time incumbents such as U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Li said.

Legislators may also revisit their own districts. Under the Supreme Court’s new guidance, Republicans, who already hold a supermajority in both statehouse chambers, could redraw several seats to favor their party.

Kleinpeter said it’s unlikely legislative maps would come up during the current session and did not speculate on whether a special session would be called for more redistricting proposals. Lawmakers are up for re-election next year.

Two years ago, state lawmakers configured the current U.S. House map in response to a federal court ruling on a version of the districts created in 2022. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick of Louisiana’s Middle District, an appointee of President Barack Obama, directed the state to enhance minority voting power to adhere to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark civil rights law created to bolster Black voting strength

Louisiana has six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, but only one favored a Black candidate before 2024 in a state where nearly a third of the population is Black. The map that was declared unconstitutional Wednesday has two seats where the voting population is majority Black.

Justice Samuel Alito, who was appointed to the court in 2005 by President George W. Bush, wrote the majority opinion in the Callais decision. In it, he scrutinized Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting laws or procedures that purposefully discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group.

“Allowing race to play any part in government decision-making represents a departure from the constitutional rule that applies in almost every other context,” Alito wrote.

Other states are moving quickly to take advantage of the Callais ruling. Last week, Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called for a special session to convene 21 days after the Callais decision was issued to address the state Supreme Court map.

Florida has moved even quicker, approving new congressional maps just hours after the ruling that could add up to four more Republican seats.

A projection by Fair Fight Action, a progressive voting rights group based in Georgia, found that Republicans could ultimately secure up to 19 seats nationally in the U.S. House of Representatives because of the ruling. At the state legislative level, Republicans could gain up to 200 seats.

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/military-recruiting-surge-hegesth-army-navy-air-force

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was questioned about the Iran war for the first time Wednesday before Congress.

While testifying about the military’s budget request, he said the military is seeing a 30-year record in recruiting.

Military recruiting record

What they're saying:

"I think something that obviously the media doesn’t want to cover and doesn’t want to talk about is the historic, record-breaking surge in recruiting in our ranks," Hegseth said Wednesday. "We’re meeting recruiting goals halfway through the year. Under Joe Biden, Americans didn’t want to join the military. We couldn’t get it. Now we have to turn people away and push them to the next fiscal year."

The backstory: The Air Force said earlier this month on social media that it reached its 2026 goal of recruiting 32,000 five months ahead of schedule.

The Air Force said earlier this month on social media that it reached its 2026 goal of recruiting 32,000 five months ahead of schedule.

And the Department of War said last year its recruiting goals were exceeded by each branch in 2025:

• The Army had a goal of 61,000 recruits and attained 62,050, totaling 101.72% of its goal.
• The Navy had a goal of 40,600 recruits and attained 44,096, totaling 108.61% of its goal.
• The Air Force had a goal of 30,100 recruits and attained 30,166, totaling 100.22% of its goal.
• The Space Force had a goal of 796 recruits and attained 819, totaling 102.89% of its goal.
• The Marine Corps had a goal of 26,600 recruits and attained 26,600, totaling 100% of its goal.

Dig Deeper: The military had been seeing enlistment shortfalls for a number of reasons, including COVID-19 restrictions locked down public events, fairs and school visits that recruiters relied on to meet with young people, and a competitive job market, according to The Associated Press and The Military Times.

Business Insider reported the Trump administration has attributed the rebound to increased confidence and patriotism among young people.

By the numbers:

The military wants to grow by a reported number of 44,500 troops next year, according to Hegseth’s remarks and the budget documents.

"That’s why this budget grows our force by almost 50,000, ultimately, additional troops into the force that we believe we can recruit," Hegseth added.

War in Iran

Meanwhile: During the testimony, a Pentagon official told Congress the war in Iran has cost an estimated $25 billion and counting.

The Source: Information in this article was taken from Secretary Hegseth’s testimony before congress given on April 29, 2026. Background information was taken from The Department of War, The Military Times and Business Insider reporting, and Air Education and Training Command. This story was reported from Detroit.

The high court effectively struck down a Black majority congressional district in Louisiana and limited a landmark civil rights law passed to protect the voting power of racial minorities.

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on April 29 threw out a congressional map in Louisiana that had been drawn to protect the voting power of Black residents, a decision that undercuts a landmark civil rights law.

An ideologically divided court sided 6-3 with the Trump administration and with the non-Black voters who challenged the map as relying too heavily on race to sort voters – and it did so just three years after upholding the 1965 Voting Rights Act’s vote dilution protections for racial minorities.

Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito called the map an "unconstitutional gerrymander" that violates the constitutional rights of the non-Black voters who challenged it.

The court's three liberal justices dissented. Justice Elena Kagan said the consequences of the majority's decision "are likely to be far-reaching and grave," rendering the protections of the civil rights law "all but a dead letter."

The decision could ultimately reduce the number of Black and Hispanic members of Congress and boost Republicans' chances of winning more seats in the U.S. House, where they currently have a thin majority. States now have a freer hand to rejigger boundaries of voting districts at all levels of government.

But the ruling − one of the most anticipated of the term − may not have been issued in time to make a significant difference in this year's midterm elections. A few states could try redrawing congressional maps but would likely face both practical and legal challenges.

Voting Rights Act was already weakened

Section Two of the Voting Rights Act tries to prevent legislative map drawers from diminishing the voting power of racial minorities by either packing them into one district or spreading them out across too many districts to have an impact.

Those protections became more important after the court, in 2013, struck down a different part of the act − one used to monitor states with a history of discrimination.

It will now be easier for Republicans to draw maps that favor their party, particularly in the South, where a voter’s race closely aligns with party preference.

Alito wrote that the voting rights law "requires evidence giving rise to a strong inference of intentional discrimination."

In her dissent, Kagan wrote that intentional discrimination is very difficult to prove.

That means, she said, that under the majority’s “new view” of the law, a state can systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power “without legal consequences.”

Multiyear battle over Louisiana's map

The racially and politically charged case grew out of a yearslong battle over Louisiana’s congressional map.

After the 2020 census, the state Legislature created a map that had only one majority-Black district out of six, even though Black people make up about one-third of the state's population.

When a group of Black voters sued, lower courts said the map likely violated the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the civil rights movement, passed after peaceful marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."

But when the GOP-controlled legislature created a second majority-Black district in 2024, a group of self-described non-Black voters went to court in a separate action, arguing a “racial quota” cost the state a Republican seat in a narrowly divided Congress.

Supreme Court expanded the case

The Supreme Court debated the issue in early 2025. Rather than issuing a decision, however, the justices took the rare step of calling for a second round of oral arguments that more squarely put the future of the redistricting protections in jeopardy. They asked whether states may create legislative districts that comply with the Voting Rights Act without violating the bans on racial discrimination in the 14th and 15th Amendments – changes to the Constitution passed after the Civil War to protect the rights of formerly enslaved people.

Louisiana, which initially defended the map, argued instead in October that the Voting Rights Act’s redistricting protections are both “unworkable and unconstitutional.”

The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump likewise argued that it's become too easy for courts to invalidate maps as discriminating against Blacks without sufficiently considering whether race-neutral factors − such as incumbency protection and partisan advantage − played a role.

“The way Section 2 has been construed… is so far from the things that are likely intentionally discriminatory and, indeed, are affirmatively compelling gerrymanders that are unconstitutional,” Hashim Mooppan, a DOJ attorney, said during oral arguments.

NAACP called Voting Rights Act crucial

The attorney representing Black voters in Louisiana countered that the civil rights law has played a crucial role in diversifying leadership in the state and giving minority voters an equal opportunity to participate in the process.

The fact that Louisiana has never elected a Black statewide candidate shows the outsized role race continues to play in the state’s elections, Janai Nelson, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said during the oral arguments.

Democratic voting rights groups had warned that Republicans could gain 19 more House seats if the court gutted vote dilution protections.

But J. Benjamin Aguinaga, Louisiana’s solicitor general, said Republicans risk turning safe districts for incumbents into competitive ones if they don’t create majority-minority districts, showing there are reasons other than the Voting Rights Act that might prompt a legislature to avoid spreading racial minorities among multiple districts.