Callais plaintiffs target Louisiana’s lone majority-Black congressional district

The plaintiffs whose lawsuit led to the dismantling of one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black congressional districts in Louisiana are now targeting the remaining district, a move that could severely dilute Black voting power in the state.

A three-judge panel heard arguments on Tuesday on whether Louisiana v. Callais, the case that led to the elimination of the majority-Black 6th Congressional District, should remain open.

The judges did not immediately issue a ruling.

Attorneys for Phillip Callais and 11 other plaintiffs argue — in a continuation of the case that the Supreme Court ruled on in April — that the same constitutional issues found in the drawing of the 6th Congressional District apply to the 2nd District, which is represented by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter and mostly located in New Orleans. They say that both districts were drawn in violation of the 14th and 15th amendments.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund countered in a motion to dismiss that the plaintiffs in the Callais case already received relief because of the decision from the Louisiana v. Callais case, which ruled that the 6th District, a majority-Black district, was racially gerrymandered.

Victoria Wenger, an attorney with the Legal Defense Fund, told Verite News that the case should be dismissed because the state legislature redrew the congressional map for the 6th District. She said that if Callais’ attorneys want to argue that the 2nd District is gerrymandered, they should file a new lawsuit.

“It just feels like they’re trying to drag on a case that has worked for them thus far, and they’re just completely disregarding what proper procedure is for this juncture, and what the jurisdictional authority is that this court has, compared to just starting the process anew at the appropriate venue before another court,” Wenger said.

According to Wenger, the judges said Callais’ attorneys have to present evidence of an unconstitutional gerrymander in the 2nd District by Dec. 15.

At a press conference after the hearing outside the Tom Stagg Federal Courthouse in Shreveport, speakers from groups including the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, ACLU of Louisiana and Black Votes Matter claimed the case leaves the only Black-majority congressional district vulnerable to being eliminated.

Press Robinson, one of the plaintiffs on the motion to dismiss the ruling, said at the press conference that the case could eliminate opportunities for Black voters to be represented.

“Black voters are not pawns. We are not pieces to be moved around on a political chess board. And our voting maps have consequences in our lives,” Robinson said.

Sarah Brannon, the deputy director of the national branch of ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said in a statement the attorneys representing Callais are trying to “finish the job.”

“This is exactly the kind of exclusion the Voting Rights Act was written to stop. Courts must not let one damaging ruling become a blank check to silence Black voters in Louisiana,” Brannon said.

Carter, who has represented the 2nd District since 2021, said in a statement that the case should be dismissed.

“Fair representation in our democracy doesn’t just mean lines on a map — it’s about whether Black Americans and other Americans of color have a meaningful opportunity to make their voices heard in government and obtain access to good schools, safe roads, and quality health care, ” Carter said. “The Callais plaintiffs got what they wanted earlier this year: the Supreme Court eviscerated the Voting Rights Act further, giving permission to conservative state legislators in Louisiana and around the country to eliminate Black-majority congressional districts. As a result, fair political representation for Black communities will take a huge blow this Election Day.”

The Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which prohibits state governments from using race as a primary factor in drawing congressional maps, drew criticism from voting and civil rights advocates throughout Louisiana and across the United States.

Ashley Shelton, the CEO of the Power Coalition, told Verite News that the loss of the 6th District was already a blow to voting rights.

“So the fact that we lost a district in this process, and then to have the Callais plaintiffs come back and say that the Louisiana legislature didn’t go far enough is outrageous and immoral,” Shelton said.

Wenger said she doesn’t believe Callais’ attorneys have enough evidence to prove that the 2nd District was racially gerrymandered. Shelton believes that the high court’s ruling in Callais and this continuation of the case will energize people to vote.

”I think that I’m really appreciative that voters are actually having the proper response, which is they’re angry and they’re showing up to vote. They’re making sure that their voices are heard, and I feel encouraged about it. And I think that it’s the only response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision, and it’s going to be the only response to voters finding out that these plaintiffs don’t feel like they’ve gone far enough,” Shelton said.

This article first appeared on Verite News New Orleans and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.