Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.
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- The US Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with the Louisiana GOP in a redistricting fight.
- The court put a hold on a lower court’s ruling that found a Republican-drawn congressional map suppressed Black voters.
- The high court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan — dissented in the case.
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with the Louisiana GOP in a redistricting fight, putting a hold on a lower court’s ruling that found a Republican-drawn congressional map suppressed Black voters.
The high court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan — dissented in the case.
The court did not provide any reasoning behind its order, which blocked a federal judge’s order that required a new map with the creation of a second district where Black voters are the majority.
In its ruling, the court said the case will be held pending its decision in a similar case out of Alabama.
“The stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court,” the order read.
Earlier this month, a federal court found that a Republican-drawn map of Louisiana’s six congressional districts violated the US Voting Rights Act and needed an additional Black-majority voting district.
Statistics show that roughly a third of Louisiana’s population is Black.
Louisiana’s Republican-dominated legislature approved the congressional map in February, prompting Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to veto the map.
“This map is simply not fair to the people of Louisiana and does not meet the standards set forth in the federal Voting Rights Act,” Edwards said in a statement at the time, adding, “The Legislature should immediately begin the work of drawing a map that ensures Black voices can be properly heard in the voting booth. It can be done and it should be done.”
However, the legislature voted to override Edwards’ veto.
