Baton Rouge, Louisiana — BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A day after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in A Big rezoning issue Focusing on Louisiana’s congressional map, which includes two majority-Black districts, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry announced he was inviting state lawmakers back to the Capitol to consider changes to next year’s election schedule, plans and symbol.
If the court strikes down current political boundaries, delaying the election timeline and deadlines could allow the GOP-dominated Legislature more time to craft a new map.
Unlike previous special sessions called by Landry, there is only one item included in his announcement: “Legislation relating to election law, election dates, election deadlines, and election plans for the 2026 election cycle, and providing funding therefor if necessary.”
The special session is scheduled to begin on October 23 and must end by the evening of November 13.
The Republican-led Supreme Court challenge is a case that could weaken a key policy tool Voting Rights Actwhich helped eradicate racial discrimination in voting for more than half a century.
The current map is the result Tough battle By civil rights groups, who say the power of black voters was lost before, when only one of the state’s six congressional districts was a majority-minority district. This was the case even though black residents represented about a third of Louisiana’s population.
But opponents say the state’s new majority-black 2nd Congressional District, which helped flip a reliably red congressional seat blue, It was manipulated unconstitutionally On the basis of race.
During Wednesday’s arguments, the Supreme Court’s six conservative justices appeared inclined to strike down Louisiana’s majority-black congressional district because it is based too heavily on race.
If the court flips the map, a ruling can be made Open the door Legislatures redraw congressional districts in Southern states, helping Republicans by eliminating majority black and Latino districts that tend to favor Democrats.
The court is expected to issue its ruling by early summer in 2026.