SCOTUS Restores LA Voting Map, While Liberal Justices Dissent

SCOTUS restored a congressional voting map in Louisiana yesterday that includes an additional majority-Black district, handing an edge to Democrats less than six months before the November election. However, the three liberal justices dissented, pointing to problems down the line.Via the Washington Post:

The order was in response to emergency appeals filed after a federal three-judge panel in the state threw out the recently redrawn map last month, ruling that it was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

That decision left the state without a congressional voting map heading into a 2024 contest that will determine which party controls the narrowly divided House. The Supreme Court’s move removes the cloud of uncertainty that had been lingering over the election, with statewide Republican leaders saying they welcomed the clarity.

The ruling was also celebrated by civil and voting rights advocates. “It’s the right outcome for Black voters in the state of Louisiana,” said Stuart Naifeh, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who represents Black voters in the case.

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