Louisiana Voting District Tossed Over Racial Gerrymandering (1)

Louisiana can’t use a newly-minted second Black-majority voting district in any future elections because it is an impermissible racial gerrymander that violates the Equal Protection Clause, a federal district court ruled.

The redistricting scheme enacted in 2022 originated in response to litigation brought under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in a separate suit that challenged the state’s prior redistricting scheme.

The plaintiffs challenging the redistricting showed that race played a predominant factor in the design of the district, triggering strict scrutiny, a divided, three-judge panel of the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana said. ...