Daniel Trotta

(Reuters) – Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling blocked a Louisiana Republican redistricting plan that would have created one major-Black congressional district. The judge ordered the legislature to redraw it with a second district in the following two weeks.

Shelly Dick, District Judge of the district, said that the Republican Map likely infringed the U.S. Voting Rights Act, 1965. This landmark piece of civil right legislation was in contravention of law and issued an Injunction.

Judge wrote that the “appropriate remedy” in this situation is a congressional redistricting program which adds an additional majority-Black congressional District.

Louisiana Republicans appealed immediately to the decision.

In other states, there are similar struggles as Republicans and Democrats try to draw maps in favor of their chances.

It all comes down to the control of the U.S. House of Representatives during November’s midterm election.

Louisiana is a state where Democrats have only one of six seats in Congress and African Americans make up one third of the population. A second Black district would add to that number. Blacks are overwhelmingly Democratic voters.

In other states, Republicans are gaining favorable map positions in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and elsewhere.

New York’s state Democrats wanted to make a map more favorable for themselves, but they were overruled in the highest court. An alternative plan that was more appealing was accepted.

If any state challenges reach the U.S. Supreme Court they could be ruled in favor of the Republicans.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority allowed Alabama to proceed with its contested map. This map was supported by Republicans. In February the Supreme Court granted an emergency request to suspend injunctions from a lower court ordering the map to be redrawn as it is likely to discriminate against Black voters. The Supreme Court said that it would consider and rule on the merits of the Alabama dispute.

The decision was interpreted as a further weakness in the Voting rights Act. This law has been used to fight racially-biased voting and redistricting.