The US Supreme Court has thrown out Louisiana’s congressional map. In a six-to-three ruling that fell right along ideological lines, the court ruled that Cleo Fields’ district, which stretches from Shreveport to Baton Rouge, relied too much on race. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says the state intentionally went to extraordinary lengths to create that district, and that’s what the court took exception to.
“The court said that Louisiana’s race-based second black district went too far. And it was, essentially, an unconstitutional racial gerrymander,” Ciolino noted.
Fields says the Supreme Court’s ruling is a grave setback to voting rights and to the promise of equal political representation for all Americans.
Ciolino says state legislatures may certainly use other factors in drawing congressional district lines, but they may not intentionally use race.
“Other factors, like partisan advantage, protecting incumbents and, of course, traditional districting criteria, are all fair game going forward,” Ciolino said.
Ciolino says while the Supreme Court did not strike down the 1965 Voting Rights Act, its ruling today will have the effect of significantly gutting Section 2 of that law.
“The ruling makes it very clear that we need, not proof of historical discrimination in order to strike a district down, but rather, intentional present racial discrimination in drawing lines,” Ciolino explained.
In a statement, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said her office is currently analyzing the opinion; and since it’s been remanded back to the Western District, she’s limited as to what she can say at this time.
Fields says the Supreme Court’s ruling does not require a new map to be drawn so the upcoming federal elections should go on as scheduled. Early voting for the May 16th primary starts Saturday.
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