When Chief Justice John Roberts gutted the Voting Rights Act he thought he was being oh so clever and profound when he wrote “the way to end discrimination is to stop discriminating.” He couldn’t have been clueless with that. No, it was a smug, duel “in your face!” to minorities and a “have fun screwing over non-white voters with ruthless gerrymanders.” Republicans, particularly in southern states with higher than national average African American populations took Roberts’ gift and ran with it.
The state of Louisiana’s residents are one-third African American. Yet five of its six Congressional districts are drawn to be majority white! Yep. They managed to draw the map to overly concentrate minority voters into a single district. Efforts are underway to fix that and according to an article in The Guardian they are being forced to create a new, fairer map of Congressional districts by mid-January. Thanks to a federal court order ruling that the existing map illegally disenfranchises black voters the legislature has until mid January to draw a new one. What startled me when I read the article was this:
A conservative federal appeals court in New Orleans issued the deadline on Friday. According to the order, if the state legislature doesn’t pass a new map by the deadline, then a lower district court should conduct a trial and develop a plan for the 2024 elections.
Notice the words “conservative federal appeals court.” Given the time pressure with the next election only a year from now this will be interesting. The Governorship has flipped and come January LA will have a Republican Governor. I think it’s safe to say he won’t want to approve any new map that would add another Democrat to the state’s Congressional delegation. As for the outgoing Gov., Democrat John Bell Edwards there’s no word on whether he’ll call a special session of the legislature. It’s not like they will pass a new and fairer map, and the holidays are coming up. It would be easy enough for them to stall.
On the other hand the appeals court ruling means that absent a new and fairer map being approved by the mid-January deadline the whole thing goes back to the District Court for a trial to determine a new map. The Louisiana GOP has already lost there and at the appellate level. Still, GOPers are GOPers and will reflexively resist doing the right thing until forced to, dragging things out as long as possible.
If if falls to Landry (the new Gov.) to call a special session there has to be seven days between such a proclamation and an actual special session taking place. The timing of all that means there won’t be any time to has something out that will meet with the court’s approval so as things stand come Jan. 15 this will wind up in court. The appellate court does allow for “limited” discretion on the District Court’s part to grant some extra time if requested. I think it’s safe to say the state’s Republicans will try to park an aircraft carrier in that hole. However, the appellate ruling also makes clear a new map must be in place in a timely enough manner to conduct elections. A new map means primaries and that puts a deadline on things.
Republicans in LA really don’t have much choice due to that appellate decision:
“The court is to conclude all necessary proceedings in sufficient time to allow at least initial review by this court and for the result to be used for the 2024 Louisiana congressional elections,” the fifth circuit’s court order said.
From where I sit like it or not Republicans in Louisiana are going to have to accept having two Democratic Congress Critters instead of only one. With the current margin in the House GOPers have little margin for safety. And here’s the kicker. PZ’s Murfster likes to point out that severe gerrymanders tend to create some districts that are barely red. With Republicans overall but House Republicans in particular making like Yosemite Sam and repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot. If they dig in their heels too hard on this, when you factor in reproductive rights and the fact new House Speaker Johnson is part of the current Congressional delegation GOPers in Louisiana might wind up losing an extra seat or if we’re lucky two!
Keep an eye on this.
“Republicans in LA really don’t have much choice due to that appellate decision:”
Well, neither did Republicans in AL, yet they still kept making maps that failed to make any significant changes so the courts wound up having to do the job that the *elected* legislators were supposed to do.
Yep. They have to do it, or it WILL be done for them.
Marc Elias and crew have been tearing into gerrymandered states and are hoping to flip at least 7 seats in congress next year.
Check out: http://www.democracydocket.com (Link stripped from last post)