Callais v. Landry

Cases & Actions

Along with the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Louisiana, the Louisiana Justice Institute, Louisiana attorney John Adcock, Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and the Election Law Clinic represents Louisiana voters and civil rights groups as proposed intervenors in a lawsuit that challenges the second majority-Black district in the state’s newly enacted congressional map. A result of Robinson v. Landry, this second district was drawn to comply with the Voting Rights Act to give Black voters an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

STATUS: ACTIVE
UPDATED: May 1, 2024
ISSUES: Gerrymandering

On April 30, 2024, the district court enjoined SB8. The Robinson Intervenors have noticed an appeal of that decision to the United States Supreme Court.

BACKGROUND

A group of “non-African American” voters filed a lawsuit challenging the new congressional map that creates a second majority-Black district enacted by the Louisiana Legislature in January 2024. The new map was passed as a result of Robinson v. Landry, where a federal appeals court found the state’s previous maps were discriminatory and likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The plaintiffs in this new case argue that the map is racially gerrymandered and violates the U.S. Constitution. They ask the court to prohibit the newly enacted map from being used in future elections and order another new map to replace it.

This lawsuit once again seeks to deprive Black Louisianans of a second majority-Black district that allows them to elect their candidate of choice. It also ignores multiple federal court decisions that led the Legislature to comply with the VRA by enacting two Black-opportunity districts.

“Louisiana’s Black voters deserve an equal voice in Congress. We are intervening in Callais to make sure that is not taken away,” said Alora Thomas-Lundborg, senior counsel at Harvard Election Law Clinic.