The US Supreme Court reinstated an order that would require a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, backing out of a case it had agreed to hear and saying the clash should go forward before a federal appeals court.
(Bloomberg) — The US Supreme Court reinstated an order that would require a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, backing out of a case it had agreed to hear and saying the clash should go forward before a federal appeals court.
The order is part of the fallout from the court’s unexpected June 8 ruling bolstering the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama case.
US District Judge Shelly Dick ruled last year that the Voting Rights Act required Louisiana, which is 33% Black and has six congressional districts, to create a second majority-Black district for the US House.
The Supreme Court then placed a temporary hold on Dick’s ruling, allowing use of a Republican-drawn map with just one majority-Black district for the 2022 election.
At the same time, the high court took the unusual step of agreeing to hear the state’s appeal — bypassing a federal appeals court — but putting the case on hold until it resolved the Alabama dispute. The Alabama ruling was a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joining the three liberals in the majority.
The Supreme Court said Monday its latest move will let the case proceed at the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals “in the ordinary course and in advance of the 2024 congressional elections in Louisiana.”
The case is Ardoin v. Robinson, 21-1596.
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