NDRC Calls on Louisiana Legislature to Draw Congressional Map with Additional Black Opportunity District

January 15, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Today, Marina Jenkins, Executive Director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), issued the following statement as the Louisiana Legislature reconvenes for a special session to redraw the state’s congressional map following the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Allen v. Milligan

“Louisiana’s congressional map follows a disturbing pattern of discriminatory maps that diminish the rightful voting power of American citizens. It is another textbook violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Black Louisianans make up one-third of the state’s population, yet have been forced to vote on a congressional map that includes just one Black opportunity district out of six total. The Louisiana Legislature must do its job: redraw a compliant map that includes two Black opportunity districts as ordered by the federal district court and in line with Section 2, which was reaffirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court just seven months ago.”

Additional Background: 
In 2022, the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the NDRC, initiated Robinson v. Ardoin, the lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s congressional map for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The NRF also initiated and directed the successful challenge against Alabama’s congressional map in Allen v. Milligan.

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