Louisiana Drowns in Lawsuits Over Republicans’ Election Power Grab
“Under Louisiana law, it is the Legislature, not the governor or secretary of state, that sets the state’s election schedule. Yet Governor Jeff Landry, aided by Secretary of State Nancy Landry, purported to unilaterally cancel Louisiana’s 2026 congressional primary elections even though they have already begun,” the statement read. trial of the National Council of Jewish Women and Louisiana Voters. “Ballots were mailed to military voters and overseas voters, as required by federal law, a month ago. Absentee ballots were mailed to other voters eligible to vote by mail under Louisiana law almost a week ago. As a result, many voters, including among the petitioners here, have already cast their ballots.”
The lawsuit also cites other Supreme Court rulings to argue that Landry cannot change the map so close to the election. “To the contrary, the Supreme Court has historically held that voting in an election takes a few months from the beginning – and here it has already begun“The State must proceed under the invalidated map, and any infirmities must be corrected for future elections,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit filed by the ACLU, NAACP and other voting rights organizations is asking that a state court blocks Landry’s decision on the grounds that the Supreme Court’s decision does not constitute an “emergency” under state law. Landry had already been struck by another trial Thursday from Democratic House candidate Lindsay Garcia, who argued the suspension violated the First, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.
