Overview

• Louisiana lawmakers have approved a new congressional map that includes a second Black-majority US House district, a move that could potentially put a Republican-controlled seat at risk.
• The new map was approved during a special session called to comply with a federal court order, following a long-running legal battle over congressional boundaries approved by Louisiana’s Republican-controlled legislature in 2022.
• The legislation establishing new districts is now headed to Louisiana’s newly installed Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it.
• The new map lowers the Black voting-age population in the current majority-Black district to 51%, while drawing a new 6th Congressional District as a narrow strip through the center of the state, from Shreveport to Baton Rouge, with a Black voting-age population of 53%.
• The redrawing of the map has been closely watched in Washington, as the outcome of fights over district lines could shape which party controls the chamber after November’s elections.