Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations in two of the state’s six congressional districts, potentially boosting Democrats’ chances of gaining control of the closely divided House of Representatives in the 2024 elections. The justices acted Wednesday on emergency appeals filed by the state’s top Republican elected officials and Black voters who said they needed the high court’s intervention to avoid confusion as elections approach. About a third of Louisiana is Black.