In an ongoing dispute over Louisiana's congressional districts, Republican officials in the state have turned to the Supreme Court for emergency relief. This comes after a three-judge panel recently deemed the state's redistricting map, which included a second majority-Black district, to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The GOP-led legislature had approved the map earlier this year to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The panel's ruling found that the redistricting plan, which consisted of five majority-White congressional districts and one majority-Black district, violated the landmark voting law. US District Judge Shelly Dick had previously instructed state lawmakers to create a new map that included an additional majority-Black congressional district. However, a group of 12 non-African American voters challenged the new plan, alleging racial segregation.

The three-judge panel ultimately blocked the latest GOP-drawn congressional map from being used in any election, setting a June 4 deadline for a new map to be implemented. In response, a group of Black voters and civil rights organizations requested Supreme Court intervention earlier this week, prompting Louisiana officials to follow suit on Friday.

The GOP lawyers argued in their filing that the lack of district lines just days before the secretary of state needs to initiate the implementation of a congressional map for the 2024 elections poses serious challenges. They stated that the original congressional map, featuring two majority-Black districts, not only addressed the lower courts' instructions for Voting Rights Act compliance but also aimed to protect incumbent Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and GOP Rep. Julia Letlow.

The Louisiana officials expressed concern about the confusion and chaos that could mar the upcoming elections due to competing court orders. On one hand, there are the earlier Voting Rights Act rulings that require the adoption of a second majority-Black district, and on the other, the panel's April decision, which found such a map to be unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.

The Republicans stressed that leaving the district court's injunction in force would lead to disarray in the state's 2024 congressional elections. They emphasized that without a congressional redistricting plan by Wednesday, the only feasible option remaining would be the H.B. 1 map, adopted in 2022, which the court previously ruled likely violated the Voting Rights Act.

Alongside their plea for emergency relief, the Louisiana Republicans urged the Supreme Court to take up the case in its next term, starting in October. They emphasized the importance of timely resolution to ensure that the state's 2026 elections are not hindered by redistricting-related litigation.

If the Supreme Court agrees to consider the case on its merits, it could have far-reaching implications for Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the role of race in the redistricting process. Moreover, a decision allowing Louisiana to use the latest redrawn map could impact the November congressional elections, where control of the House is at stake.