The U.S. Supreme Court will review a pair of rulings in the dispute over Louisiana's Congressional districts.
In a list of orders released Monday, the Court included one for Louisiana v. Callais consolidated with Robinson v. Callais. A total of one hour is allotted for oral argument, the order states.
Back in May, SCOTUS suspended a three-judge panel's decision throwing out the map drawn by the state Legislature in January. That action cleared the way for tomorrow's election using the newly-drawn district, which added a second majority-Black district for the state.
The Associated Press reports-
The court won’t hear arguments until early next year and the 2024 elections are proceeding under the challenged map, which could boost Democrats’ chances of retaking the closely divided House of Representatives.
A lower court had invalidated the map, but the justices allowed it to be used in 2024 after an emergency appeal from the state and civil rights groups.
The issue in front of the justices is whether the state relied too heavily on race in drawing a second majority Black district.
The court’s order Monday is the latest step in federal court battles over Louisiana congressional districts that have lasted more than two years. Louisiana has had two congressional maps blocked by lower courts and the Supreme Court has intervened twice.
The state’s Republican-dominated legislature drew a new congressional map in 2022 to account for population shifts reflected in the 2020 Census. But the changes effectively maintained the status quo of five Republican-leaning majority white districts and one Democratic-leaning majority Black district in a state that is about one-third Black.
To read the AP's full story, click here.
