NPR
U.S. House primaries in Louisiana are suspended after Voting Rights Act ruling
+150 words added -76 words removed
By
Benjamin Swasey
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry records a social media video outside the White House on March 24, 2025. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption
Louisiana has suspended its upcoming primaries for the U.S. House, following Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the state's congressional map is an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander."
The rest of Louisiana's primaries, including for U.S. Senate, will proceed as scheduled, with early voting starting Saturday and the primary date set for May 16.
It's unclear when the House races will continue. "This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map."
The last-minute change follows the Supreme Court's ruling Wednesday in a case about Louisiana's congressional map that weakens protections against racial discrimination in redistricting.
Elections Supreme Court paves the way for largest-ever drop in Black representation in Congress The ruling centered on one of the state's two Democratic-held, predominantly Black U.S. House districts. It's expected that the Republican-led legislature will now redraw its congressional map to eliminate at least one of those Democratic seats in this year's midterm elections.
In a statement, Secretary of State Nancy Landry, a Republican, said: "Our office will post notices at each of the early voting sites to alert the public of this change. While the U.S.
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Law The U.S.
− Supreme Court strikes another severe blow to the Voting Rights Act "Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters, Gov.
+ In an executive order, Gov.
− Jeff Landry, a Republican, said in a statement announcing the suspension.
+ Jeff Landry, a Republican, says the contests are suspended "until July 15, 2026 or until such time as determined by the Legislature."
Law The U.S.
+ Supreme Court strikes another severe blow to the Voting Rights Act "Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters, Landry said in a statement announcing the suspension.
− House races will remain on voters' ballots, any votes cast in those races will not be counted."
Absentee ballots for the state primary have already been sent out.
+ House races will remain on voters' ballots, any votes cast in those races will not be counted."
Absentee ballots for the state primary have already been sent out — more than 100,000 of them, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday against the suspension of House primaries.
+ The case argues that the suspension threatens to disenfranchise voters. "This Court is asked to do something simple: stop a state from canceling an election that is already underway," the complaint says.