Newly sworn in, Louisiana’s governor calls for special session to draw new congressional map

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Newly sworn-in Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has issued an executive order, calling for a special redistricting session. It gives lawmakers the opportunity to draw and replace the state’s current congressional map that a federal judge said dilutes the power of Black voters. Louisiana is among the list of states still wrangling over congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that Alabama had violated the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana’s current GOP-drawn map, which was used in the November congressional election, has white majorities in five of six districts. That’s despite the fact that Black people account for one-third of the state’s population. Another mostly-Black district could deliver a second congressional seat to Democrats in the red state.