WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – On Wednesday, Congressional leaders spoke out about Louisiana’s latest move to redraw its congressional map after the Supreme Court struck it down last month.
“You can’t have an election on an unconstitutional map. That’s why not just Louisiana, but other states have reviewed their maps under this new ruling,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), at a press conference in Washington.
The comments came hours after the state’s Senate and Government Affairs Committee voted to advance a new map that would eliminate one of its two majority-Black congressional districts, both held by Democrats.
The high court struck down the state’s congressional map on April 29, finding it was an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.” The ruling limits the use of race in drawing congressional maps, and has spurred a series of redistricting efforts in GOP-led states.
The move is also the latest chapter in the 2026 nationwide redistricting battle that could have significant implications for control of the House, after the November midterm elections.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) said that the efforts to redraw voting districts are a sign that the Republican party is trying to cling on to congressional power.
“The Republicans have concluded that they need to cheat to win” he said. “When they are, in plain sight, trying to rig the midterm elections because they’re desperate to cling on to power.”
Jeffries also emphasized that Democrats will push back on the GOP’s redrawing efforts.
“We’re not going to unilaterally disarm. Not now. Not ever. And this redistricting war is just getting started,” he said.
Speaker Johnson defended his state’s moves, saying that they have to comply with the high court’s ruling.
“The ultimate election integrity concern is to ensure that you don’t have an election on an unconstitutional map. And when the highest court in the land says your map is unconstitutional, you cannot proceed,” Johnson said.
The new Louisiana map still has to be approved by the full legislature and requires the governor’s signature before it can go into effect.
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