SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—The recently passed Louisiana Congressional district map is being debated in federal court after opponents filed a lawsuit calling it unconstitutional.

Plaintiffs said they brought the lawsuit because they believe the map was drawn unconstitutionally, with race being a prominent factor.

The newly drawn map passed in the 2024 Special Legislative Session, created a second Black majority out of Louisiana's six districts to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Because 1/3 of voters in Louisiana are Black, the Act requires that the districts be drawn to reflect that representation.

Jared Evans, Senior Policy counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, argues that the goal of the plaintiffs is to "have a district with one majority Black district and five majority White that elect White republicans."

Evans says race was not the prominent factor, and the map is just because "politics was the driving force, protecting incumbents was the number one priority for the legislature."

On day two of the three-day hearing, the defendants and intervenors summoned many witnesses to the court, speaking to this theory and communities of interest.

There is a community of interest that exists between Shreveport, De Soto, Natchitoches, Alexandria, Avoyelles, St. Landry, and Lafayette; as our witnesses testified, there's a commonality between those areas that do not exist between New Orleans and Baton Rouge," said Evans.

Witnesses included state representatives, founders of non-profit organizations, a former mayor, demographers, etc.

State representative Mandie Landry said she was in the session and knew the map would pass because of hundreds of conversations and the leadership behind the Governor's bill. She testified that seeing the public understand gerrymandering was heartening and that this is a good thing. She also said that everyone knew Congressman Graves was targeted, and this was a way to get him out.

Former mayor Cedric B. Glover testified that District 6 makes sense because of the connecting factors between I-49 and the Red River. He says the cities in the district share health care systems, higher education, and economic development.

Glover says this second Black majority provides more representation and opportunity to elevate and advance. Witness and President and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, Ashley Shelton, also spoke about what redistricting means to communities.

Shelton's organization creates pathways to power for historically disenfranchised minorities by educating community members and voters. She testified that District 6 has many communities of interest, and these are poorer communities that have never benefited from congressional leadership.

In an interview, Shelton said, "This map presents an opportunity for forgotten cities that are not really centered in the districts that they're currently in to actually be able to realize a different opportunity.

She says it's an opportunity to address poverty, lack of access to healthcare and lack of health outcomes.

Shelton and others and the defendants say they are positive and hopeful going into the last day of the hearing on April 10.

"This map was not just about creating a second majority-minority district; it was about creating a map that actually represented the people of the state of Louisiana in a fair and equitable way," said Shelton.

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