Supreme Court allows Louisiana to use congressional map with second majority-Black district
NBCMay 21
SCOTUS Orders Louisiana to Use Maps With Two Majority-Black Districts
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The Facts
The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Wednesday effectively ordered Louisiana to use a congressional map containing two majority-Black districts in November's election, blocking a lower-court decision that previously invalidated the map.
The decision comes in response to emergency requests filed by Republican state officials and civil rights groups who urged the court to finalize a 2024 congressional map by Wednesday in order to meet bureaucratic deadlines and avoid "disarray."
The Spin
Democratic narrative
While the ideological breakdown of the SCOTUS decision that ordered Louisiana to have two majority-black districts is suspicious, it should still be acknowledged as a win for Black voters and democracy. For at least the 2024 election, Democrats are poised to pick up an extra seat in the House thanks to Louisiana’s new map. More importantly, Black voters are gaining more equitable representation in an election that may determine the balance of power in Congress.
Republican narrative
Federal courts, even the supposedly conservative Supreme Court, are handing Congressional seats over to Democrats with decisions that clearly violate the Constitution. The use of race-based districting and legislation has long been maligned by liberals until it benefits the Democratic party. Racial gerrymandering is illegal, and it's clear that new congressional maps are relying on race to create new districts. However, since Black voters are overwhelmingly Democrats, these maps are being lauded as "victories."
Cynical narrative
Both Democrats and Republicans gerrymander massively, making American democracy far from fair. Election laws should change.