Louisiana urges Supreme Court to reject race in redistricting

Louisiana is asking the Supreme Court to bar any consideration of race in redistricting, abandoning its defense of its own current congressional map in a move that could reshape the Voting Rights Act.

In a new brief Wednesday, the state called race-based redistricting “fundamentally contrary to our Constitution” and urged the justices to deem its intentional creation of a second majority-Black congressional district unconstitutional.

“Louisiana wants out of this abhorrent system of racial discrimination,” Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill (R) wrote.

The filing comes in response to the Supreme Court’s call for additional briefing on the matter. The justices were expected to release a decision in the case alongside their other final opinions at the end of the term in June, but instead, sought the extra information and a new round of arguments. Those are scheduled for October 15.

The battle over Louisiana’s congressional maps has been waged for half a decade.