Louisiana Republicans redraw majority-Black district

Louisiana Republican lawmakers are advancing a plan to eliminate at least one of the state’s two majority‑Black congressional districts. During an eight‑hour Senate committee hearing in Baton Rouge, civil‑rights activist Leona Tate, one of the historic “New Orleans Four,” told legislators that the proposal revives the trauma of the 1960s desegregation battles. Testimony from Black members of Congress, clergy and voters turned emotional, while protesters outside chanted “Let him speak!” after committee chair Caleb Kleinpeter cut a Democratic lawmaker’s microphone.

The effort follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, giving Republicans the chance to redraw maps that could dismantle Black‑majority districts across the South. In Louisiana, Governor Jeff Landry postponed the May 16 primary for U.S. House races, leaving tens of thousands of mailed ballots in limbo and causing uncertainty among voters. The hearing highlighted broader national redistricting battles in Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina, and raised concerns from voting‑rights groups about the impact on Black voters, who comprise about a third of the state’s electorate.