During the 2020 redistricting cycle, Louisiana's congressional map faced legal challenges for alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Roughly one-third of Louisiana's population is African American, but only one of Louisiana's six districts was drawn with a Black majority. Legislators overrode Governor John Bel Edwards' veto to enact the districts. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund sued the state on behalf of Black Louisianan voters. In Robinson v. Ardoin, a U.S. District Judge found that the maps were illegally racially gerrymandered, first ordering the legislature to reconvene to redraw compliant maps, then suggesting that she would enforce court-ordered maps following legislators' "disingenuous" and "insincere" attempts to do so on their own.[1][2]
The State appealed the case to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to attempt to keep the discriminatory map in place. The Fifth Circuit first placed a stay on the court-ordered redrawing process pending review, then reversed its decision.[3][4] The State then appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, which granted the state's application, stayed the district court's injunction, and allowed the 2022 elections to take place with the discriminatory district map in effect. The Court indicated that it would first review a similar case concerning racial gerrymandering in Alabama, Allen v. Milligan, before dealing with Robinson v. Ardoin.
The Court was widely expected to side with both Alabama and Louisiana, weakening the anti-discrimination protections of the Voting Rights Act. However, the Court upheld a lower court decision in Allen v. Milligan that Alabama's maps were in fact racially gerrymandered, suggesting that it may also decide against Louisiana. On June 26, 2023, the Court decided not to intervene in Robinson v. Ardoin, rescinding its stay and allowing the case to continue in the Fifth Circuit. On November 10, 2023, a decision made by the 5th circuit panel gave the Louisiana state legislature until January 15, 2024, to redraw its congressional maps, with a second majority Black district, in advance of the 2024 election cycle.[5][6][7] Because newly elected Governor Jeff Landry was not sworn in until January 8, and a special session of the assembly could not have been convened until at least seven days after the governor calls for one, the Court extended the deadline for the legislature to approve new maps to January 30.[8]
The 2nd district stretches from New Orleans to inner Baton Rouge. The incumbent is Democrat Troy Carter, who was re-elected with 77.1% of the vote in 2022.[9]
The 5th district encompasses rural northeastern Louisiana, central Louisiana, as well as the northern part of Louisiana's Florida parishes in southeast Louisiana, taking in Monroe, Alexandria, Opelousas, Amite and Bogalusa, Louisiana. The incumbent is Republican Julia Letlow, who was re-elected with 67.6% of the vote in 2022.[9]
The 6th district has been reformed after the decision of Allen v. Milligan into the second majority Black district, giving it a stronger lean to the Democratic Party. It encompasses much of Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette.[41] The incumbent, Republican Garret Graves, originally ran for re-election, but on June 14, 2024, he withdrew, as the modified seat was upheld by the Supreme Court for this election cycle.[26] He was re-elected with 80.4% of the vote in 2022.[9]
Candidates
Declared
Quentin Anderson (Democratic), nonprofit executive[42]
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