A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Monroe seeking to overturn Louisiana’s new congressional map that creates a second majority Black district.
Twelve plaintiffs contend the map passed by the Republican dominated Legislature and signed into law last week by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is unconstitutional because they allege lawmakers drew the boundaries solely based on race.
The lawsuit will be heard by a three-judge panel, including one 5th Circuit Court of Appeal judge and two Western District judges. They will likely be appointed Thursday.
“Here, the State has engaged in explicit, racial segregation of voters and intentional discrimination against voters based on race,” the plaintiffs said. “The State has drawn lines between neighbors and divided communities. In most cases, the lines separate African American and non-African American voters from their communities and assign them to Districts with dominating populations far away.”
The lawsuit, filed in Louisiana’s Western District U.S. Court Wednesday, is the latest litigation challenging the state’s congressional boundaries.