Jeff Landry reportedly told Republican House candidates that he intends to suspend next month’s primary elections in Louisiana so lawmakers can first redraw the state’s congressional map. The plan follows a major ruling by Supreme Court of the United States that found Louisiana had unlawfully relied on race when creating a second majority-Black congressional district.
According to reports, Landry could formally announce a delay of the May 16 primaries just before early voting begins. The goal would be to give the Republican-controlled legislature time to pass a new map that reflects the Court’s decision. Because Republicans hold a narrow majority in the United States House of Representatives, any change that adds one or two favorable seats could become significant in the upcoming midterm elections.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling is widely viewed as limiting an important part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, specifically Section 2, which bars states from weakening minority voting power. Lower federal courts had previously ordered Louisiana to create a second majority-Black district in 2024 because roughly one-third of the state’s population is African American. That revised map resulted in two Democratic-held majority-Black districts and four Republican-held districts.
State officials and the Trump administration challenged the map, arguing it was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. During oral arguments, government lawyers said race had been used too heavily in designing the district boundaries.
The ruling may have consequences beyond Louisiana. Voting-rights groups have warned that Republican-led states across the South could now attempt to redraw as many as 19 districts in ways that weaken Democratic or minority voting strength. However, analysts note many states may not have enough time to complete redistricting before the next elections. Louisiana is considered one of the few states that could act quickly because of its election calendar and unified Republican control.
The case also raised questions about how the Court’s new approach fits with earlier decisions such as Allen v. Milligan, which required Alabama to create another majority-Black district. Chief Justice John Roberts reportedly focused on reconciling the new ruling with existing legal standards rather than fully overturning prior precedent.
