• Civil rights leaders say a Supreme Court ruling striking down Louisiana’s congressional map weakens Black voting power.
• The ruling dismantles the state’s second majority-Black district, according to critics.
• Advocacy groups like the NAACP and All Streets All People are calling for continued community organizing and voter engagement.
• Leaders expressed disappointment but stated their resolve to continue fighting for fair representation.

Civil rights leaders and groups responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling to strike down Louisiana’s congressional map, saying the decision dismantles the state’s second majority-Black district and weakens Black voting power across the state.

In a statement to the Times, All Streets All People (ASAP), a Shreveport-based community organizing and grassroots organization, said the Callais decision is a reminder of something everyday people across North Louisiana already know — the systems that govern our lives are not neutral — and they do not move unless we move them. 

The organization said for far too long, decisions that shape their communities — schools, resources, political power — have been made without us, or in ways that dilute our voice when we do show up. They said the decision does not exist in isolation. It sits inside a larger pattern where power is protected, access is managed, and the people most impacted are expected to accept less.

“This is exactly the gap we are organizing to close,” said Omari Ho-Sang, executive director of All Streets All People. “You cannot ask people to defend a democracy they don’t feel while they are struggling just to survive. Our responsibility is to make civic power real in people’s lives — to connect it directly to whether our communities can live, not just get by.”

Louisiana District of NAACP

The Louisiana District of the NAACP issued the following statement:

“Today’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais is a reminder that progress is never guaranteed and that the work of protecting our communities is ongoing.

“While the decision carries serious implications, it does not change who we are or what we are called to do. We have never backed away from a challenge, and we will not start now. Our commitment to fair representation and equal protection under the law remains firm.

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“We know that change has always come because people were willing to stand up, speak out, and stay engaged. That responsibility continues today. We encourage our communities to remain informed, to stay involved, and to continue building the power needed to shape our future by holding elected officials accountable and showing up at the ballot box every election.

“This moment does not stop us. It strengthens our resolve. We will keep organizing, mobilizing and advocating until every voice is fully represented and respected.

“The NAACP Louisiana State Conference moves forward with determination, knowing that the path ahead requires persistence, unity, and action.”

BATON ROUGE, La. (LSU Manship School News Service) – A bill holding adults legally responsible if children gain access to a loaded firearm was rejected 6-3 by a House committee this week.

House Bill 586, by Rep. Vincent Cox III, R-Gretna, would have criminalized leaving a loaded firearm where children could access it, potentially harming themselves or others, but failed in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.

“I believe that HB 586 is common sense and responsibility without restricting Second Amendment rights,” Cox said.

Ashlyn Carraway, whose 13-year-old son Noah died due to his friend accidentally shooting him at a sleepover in 2011, spoke in support of the bill’s goals of child safety.

“We try our absolute best to keep them safe in every other way that we can,” Carraway said. “Why would this be any different?”

Even though her son learned gun safety, Carraway said his knowledge did not save him, and there was no law in place to hold the friend’s parents accountable for the death. Noah’s friend had held a rifle at Noah’s head as a joke, not realizing the safety was not engaged.

Daniel Zelenka, president of the Louisiana Shooting Association, spoke in opposition to the bill. He said the standard of reasonably knowing a child could access a firearm is “impermissibly vague,” and the law is not preventative, as it takes effect after an incident.

Zelenka also said the law conflicts with the U.S. Supreme Court case ruling that Washington, D.C.’s firearm storage law was unconstitutional because firearms were not available for self-defense.

“I hate when you come here,” Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, told Zelenka. “I am triggered. I am disgusted.”

Knox said for the past three years, the stories that parents share about children losing their lives in gun incidents have not seemed to motivate gun-rights advocates to work toward a compromise.

Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, the chair of the committee, asked Knox to be respectful of Zelenka.

“Nothing I hold against him personally, but on a political and on a professional (level), it really disgusts me,” Knox replied.

Villio, a former state prosecutor, suggested that the bill, which would create a misdemeanor, could make litigation more confusing, since Louisiana already has made negligent homicide a felony.

Dr. Jillian Ploof, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, said these laws in states like Texas and Florida are preventative, while a negligent homicide charge would occur after a death.

The law requires seven days in between the alleged offense and arrest if offenders are children’s relatives and the children caused death or injury to themselves.

Rep. Bryan Fontenot, R-Thibodaux, expressed concern that in these cases, parents who lose a child to suicide could end up in prison.

Cox noted that Louisiana has other firearm safety laws, such as requiring children between the ages of 10 and 12 to have adult supervision to hunt.

A similar bill by Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, failed in a Senate Judiciary Committee on April 7. It would have criminalized unsecured firearm storage with knowledge that a minor or prohibited person could gain access to the weapon.

Cox wrote a similar bill last year that advanced in the House Criminal Justice Committee but failed on the floor.

Cox edited the bill this year to specify it would apply to children 15 and younger and added exemptions for hunting and self-defense.

Since the 2025 bill failed, 14 unintentional shootings by children have occurred. The Louisiana Department of Health released a report in April linking preventative laws to a 33% decrease in these shootings.

House Bill 94, by Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, would prohibit seizing firearms without due process and accepting federal money to seize them.

McCormick deferred a vote on the bill to address confusion about its effectiveness after adding an amendment stating the bill would not apply to police officers who take firearms so they can perform their duties.

“Now I do understand the financial, not accepting federal dollars – you got me on that,” Fontenot said. “But once you put the amendment on, your bill does really absolutely nothing.”

McCormick said he wrote the bill to prevent Red Flag laws, which would allow courts to decide to seize firearms from people who are a danger to themselves or others.

A Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Red Flag bills in 2024 and 2025.