Republicans Celebrate Landry’s Decision to Suspend Active Election, and Dems Sue
Following a Supreme Court ruling this week that struck down Louisiana’s majority-black 2nd Congressional District in Louisiana v. Callais and dealt a devastating blow to the Voting Rights Act, limiting the use of race-based consideration in future maps, Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry suspended this month’s already active congressional primary elections to give lawmakers time to pass new three-dimensional maps before the midterms.
More than 100,000 absentee ballots have already been sent out and absentee ballots have already been cast for the state’s congressional primary election, which was scheduled to take place on May 16, with a potential runoff scheduled for June 27. Landry’s unprecedented decision to suspend an already active election drew praise from Republicans and lawsuits from Democrats. It also reinforces President Donald Trump’s months-long and previously failed national redistricting plan.
A new congressional map in Louisiana has the potential to give Republicans one or two additional congressional seats in the midterm elections, further complicating Trump’s ongoing redistricting war, which until this week’s Supreme Court ruling Republicans appeared to be losing.
“The best way to end race-based discrimination is to stop making decisions based on race,” Landry said in an executive order Thursday suspending the election. “Here in Louisiana, we are proud to lead the nation in this direction. Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters. This executive order ensures that we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and legal congressional map.”
In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday immediately after Landry’s announcement, a group of voters sued Landry, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry (no relation), as well as Attorney General Liz Murrill, arguing that suspending an active election is unconstitutional.
One of the plaintiffs in the case is voter and Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives Lindsay Garcia, who is running in Louisiana’s 5th District.
“This Court is asked to do something simple: prevent a State from overturning an election already in progress,” the lawsuit says. “Thousands of mail-in ballots were sent to Louisiana voters, including elderly, disabled, hospitalized and student voters, as well as active duty military personnel stationed at home and abroad. »
“Treating identically situated voters differently, counting some early ballots and voiding others, or voiding the federal-primary portion of a ballot while counting the same voter’s votes for State Supreme Court and constitutional amendments on the same ballot, violates the equal protection principles of Bush v Gore, 531 US at pages 104-05,” the complaint states.
The plaintiffs are seeking an emergency order from the state to allow the election to proceed as previously scheduled.
Meanwhile, Republicans celebrated the decision and the opportunity to expand Trump’s assault — which he launched last summer by pressuring red state legislatures to engage in mid-cycle redistricting to try to predetermine the results of the midterm elections and maintain Republican control of the House of Representatives.
In an article on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump celebrated Landry’s executive order.
“Thank you to the great Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, for his leadership in the very important Callais case and for acting so quickly to correct the unconstitutionality of Louisiana’s congressional maps,” he wrote. “He has demonstrated extraordinary vision, strength and leadership. Thank you Jeff, keep up the great work! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Speaker Mike Johnson also supported the decision, telling reporters Thursday just before the announcement that Landry “has no choice but to suspend it.”
“The court found our map unconstitutional,” he added, according to Politico.
