(The Center Square) — Louisiana Republicans cleared the first hurdle to potentially securing an extra seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Democrats sought to advance a map that kept two majority-Black districts, saying their proposal satisfied the U.S. Supreme Court’s new standards.
“They actually said you couldn’t use race, but one thing you can use is political parties and partisanship,” Sen. Ed Price, D-Gonzales, told the committee. “So these maps definitely represent that ruling.”
“It’s an opportunity for people to be represented in their state,” Price said in closing. The committee heard testimony for more than 10 hours and did not adjourn until after 4 a.m. The bill was rejected 4-3.
After Price’s bill, the committee heard Sen. Jay Morris’ map. Morris was bombarded with questions about whether his proposal would pass constitutional muster. Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, raised Gov. Jeff Landry’s decision to suspend the elections, echoing similar concerns from other Democrats about already cast votes. The secretary of state said more than 40,000 people had already voted by absentee ballot.
Duplessis pressed Morris on whether using party instead of race still diluted Black representation. Morris denied it, saying his map is based on partisanship, not race, and that all voters would still be able to vote for their preferred candidate. When Duplessis asked broader questions about racism and Black political representation, Morris said those issues were outside the bill and insisted the map does not reduce Black representation.
Witness testimony included dozens of individuals representing themselves, organizations and others. Current and former legislators, firefighters, veterans and civil rights activists asked the committee to reject any map that did not include two majority-Black districts.
Many were angry and accused Republicans of bringing Louisiana “back to the slave times.” One began testimony with prayer. Many reminisced about the Civil Rights Movement, the Ku Klux Klan and civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. Many drove from across the state, arriving as early as 9 a.m.
They appealed to the committee with testimony about how a map could be drawn with two majority-Black districts while still complying with the Supreme Court’s new standards following the Callais ruling.
There was also discussion of a map with three majority-Democratic districts and three majority-Republican districts.
“I wondered what I would do if I was alive at that time,” Susan Schempf told the committee, referring to the era of segregation and Jim Crow laws. “Right now is that moment in my life, and what I’m doing is waiting in these hallways so I can come in and say ‘what are we going to do’…our children will be affected for generations, based on the decision that you make as representatives.”
For the most part, the committee remained cordial and respectful.
Democrats on the committee continued to insist that Morris’ bill would disenfranchise Black voters, who reliably vote Democratic in Louisiana. A map with one fewer majority-Black district would give those voters less opportunity to elect an additional Democrat to Congress.
“This is a direct attack on black people,” Duplessis said to a group of white witnesses testifying on their own behalf. “Race is imbued throughout this whole thing. We need you to be having these conversations in public and in private.”
Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, who chairs Louisiana’s Legislative Black Caucus, told The Center Square that “people who say they don’t see color are being disingenuous.” It is a remark similar to one made by Sen. Gary Carter, D-New Orleans, who asked, “how do we not focus on race.”
Jordan added that examples of black leaders in the most powerful positons in the country were generally outliers. “You’re taking an extreme example and trying to make it the norm. Whats the average?,” Jordan said.
“Redistricting is a game of power,” Jordan continued. “I don’t see Republicans trying to give up their power. ” He added that Republicans don’t want certain Democrats in powerful positions, such as Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, as Speaker of the House.
The map that advanced out of Wednesday morning’s committee sets the stage for further legal challenges. The Center Square previously reported that there are already legal challenges prepared for that map.
In four years, the 2030 Census will again force Louisiana lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map using new population data.
