Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a 40-year-old precedent that he says has locked states into an unconstitutional redistricting trap. In a public statement, Landry declared that Louisiana, with Attorney General Liz Murrill, is challenging the 1986 Thornburg v. Gingles ruling that requires states to consider race when drawing voting districts under the Voting Rights Act.
Landry argues that the Gingles framework forces states into a no-win scenario: either they draw majority-minority districts and face lawsuits for racial gerrymandering, or they don’t—and get sued for violating the Voting Rights Act. “That is not justice; that is a legal trap,” Landry said. “And Louisiana knows it all too well.”
The challenge centers on the Louisiana v. Callais case, which is being argued before the Supreme Court. Landry called it “the most consequential redistricting decision in a generation.” At stake is not just the configuration of congressional maps, but the broader question of whether states or federal courts should control redistricting policy.
In 2022, Louisiana passed a new congressional map. A federal court rejected it. After the legislature complied with a court order and drew another map, lawsuits followed again. Landry noted that since 2012, Louisiana has spent over $40 million in taxpayer funds fighting redistricting lawsuits—resources he says should have gone to local infrastructure and education.
“The Constitution guarantees equal protection – not racial engineering,” Landry stated. He also argued that the Voting Rights Act was intended to ensure access to the ballot, not to enforce racial quotas.
Landry is calling for a race-neutral legal standard that reflects a color-blind Constitution. He says Louisiana is not only standing for its own sovereignty but also for every state tired of being micromanaged by federal courts.
With the Supreme Court now taking up Louisiana v. Callais, the decision could reshape how race is factored into redistricting nationwide. The governor made it clear: “The best way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
