NAACP, ACLU file lawsuit over La. Congressional map, claiming violation of Voting Rights Act

The NAACP and ACLU say the Louisiana Legislature's redistricting map violates the Voting Rights Act.

BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) -- Yesterday, the Louisiana Legislature voted to overturn Gov. Edwards' veto of the new Louisiana Congressional map that was passed earlier this year. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have filed a lawsuit, challenging the map as a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Section 2.

Edwards vetoed the map on March 9 because it did not add a second majority-minority district. Out of the 163 total districts created by the Legislature in the various bills passed, not a single additional majority-minority seat was created, despite the fact that the percentage of the black population increased and the white population decreased. 

Gov. Edwards said he was “disappointed but not surprised” after the veto override and believes that the map is unfair while emphasizing the growth of the Black population in Louisiana.

Edwards is not alone in his opposition to the map. Civil Rights groups like Black Voters Matter have been advocating for a fair map since the redistricting process began.

“The map vetoed by the Governor was unlawful and unfair,” said Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) Policy Counsel Jared Evans. “It clearly violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting the voices of Louisiana’s one-third Black voting population. The Legislature never should have passed an unlawful map, and we will not rest until a fair and representative map is enforced for the voters of Louisiana.”

Read the lawsuit below.