Originally Published: 19 JAN 24 17:12 ET
By Fredreka Schouten, CNN
(CNN) — Louisiana lawmakers on Friday approved a new congressional map that gives the state a second Black-majority US House district and likely puts at risk a Republican-controlled seat.
The legislative action, taken during a special session called to comply with a federal court order, represents a win for Democrats and the civil rights groups that have waged a long-running legal battle over congressional boundaries approved by Louisiana’s Republican-controlled legislature in 2022. A federal judge had concluded that the earlier map discriminated against Louisiana’s Black voters, who make up nearly a third of the state’s population but accounted for a majority of voters in just one of the Bayou State’s six congressional districts.
Louisiana’s special session and other ongoing skirmishes over redistricting have been closely watched in Washington, where Republicans currently hold a threadbare-majority in the US House of Representatives. The outcome of fights over district lines could shape which party controls the chamber after November’s elections.
The legislation establishing new districts is now headed to Louisiana’s newly installed Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
