Louisiana halts House elections after Supreme Court map ruling
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photos: Tom Williams/Getty Images
Louisiana is suspending its House elections just days before voting was set to begin, Gov. Jeff Landry said Thursday, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional map.
Why it matters: Landry says an "electoral emergency exists," which gives him authority to suspend or delay elections.
The big picture: The governor issued an executive order Thursday afternoon that suspends the closed-party primaries on May 16 and June 27 for the U.S. House races.
- The other races and ballot measures will continue as planned, his statement says.
- Early voting was set to start Saturday. Absentee ballots have already been mailed to overseas voters.
- "Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters," Landry said in a statement.
Zoom in: Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill are working with the Legislature and the Secretary of State's office to "develop a path forward," they said in a joint statement.
- The delayed election gives the Legislature time to draw a new map, Landry says.
- He did not provide a timeline for next steps, including when House primaries would be rescheduled.
Zoom out: President Trump praised Landry on Truth Social on Thursday, thanking him for "moving so quickly to fix the Unconstitutionality of Louisiana's Congressional Maps."
- He also heralded redistricting efforts in Tennessee, saying they would "give us one extra seat, and help Save our Country from the Radical Left Democrats."
Catch up quick: The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision Wednesday found Louisiana's use of race in creating a second majority-Black congressional district was an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander," Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority.
- The ruling limits a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, which helped dismantle Jim Crow laws and expand protections for voters of color across the South, writes Axios' Josephine Walker.
- Landry and Murrill welcomed the ruling as a victory for the state, while civil rights leaders said it was devastating for Black voters.
What he's saying: "The best way to end race-based discrimination is to stop making decisions based on race," Landry said Thursday. "Here in Louisiana, we're proud to lead the nation on this charge."
The intrigue: The redrawn map could potentially reduce the state's number of majority-Black districts.
- Louisiana currently has two majority-Black districts, which both elected Black Democrats.
- Rep. Cleo Fields was elected last year to represent the new district. Rep. Troy Carter represents the other, which includes New Orleans.
- Alanah Odoms, the executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, says she expects lawmakers to draw six majority-white districts or five majority-white and one majority-Black district.
What's next: State lawmakers are likely to take up the map redistricting during the current session, which ends June 1, NOLA.com's Tyler Bridges reports.
Editor's note: This story was updated with comments from President Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry.