California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a coalition of 20 attorneys general, has submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Louisiana's revised congressional map. The revised map includes two majority-Black districts, following a court order that found the state's original map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by having only one such district.
"There is nothing more fundamental to our democracy than the constitutional right to vote," said Attorney General Bonta. "60 years ago, the Voting Rights Act sought to ensure that every American had the ability to exercise that right, regardless of their race. I respectfully urge the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Louisiana’s revised Congressional map and allow states the flexibility they need to address violations of the Voting Rights Act."
In 2022, Louisiana enacted a congressional map featuring one majority-Black district, which was challenged under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for potentially discriminatory practices based on race or color. A district court ordered a new map with two majority-Black districts after preliminarily enjoining the original version.
The new map was subsequently contested by plaintiffs claiming it constituted racial gerrymandering. In response, the attorneys general have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling against Louisiana's revised map and emphasized states' need for flexibility in redistricting efforts aimed at remedying Voting Rights Act violations.
The brief also requests that the Supreme Court reject an Alabama-led coalition's attempt to discard longstanding precedent supporting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act—a precedent recently affirmed by the court.
Attorney General Bonta is joined by his counterparts from Washington D.C., New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington State and Wisconsin in this legal effort.
A copy of the brief is available for public access.