Louisiana

With election just months away, Louisiana awaits ruling on Congress map, Black district

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

With election just months away, Louisiana awaits ruling on Congress map, Black district

Louisiana’s incumbent representatives and their voters are on pins and needles as they await a federal three-judge panel’s ruling on whether the state’s new congressional map that created a second Black district will stand after a three-day trial in Shreveport on a lawsuit challenging the boundaries ended Wednesday.

At stake are the political careers of the incumbents and scope of representation for the state’s Black voters, who represent about one-third of the population but until now had only one of the state’s six congressional districts in which they held a majority with the Nov. 5 election less than seven months away.

Plaintiffs argued that the map passed by the state Republican Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry should be overturned because they contend its boundaries were gerrymandered solely based on race to create a second Black district.

The lawsuit challenging the map attacks the new majority Black 6th Congressional District boundaries stretching from Baton Rouge to Lafayette to Alexandria to Shreveport as unconstitutional, saying they don’t meet traditional redistriction principles like compactness and preserving communities of interests.

But the state contends additional factors drove the map, including the politics of protecting powerful incumbent Louisiana Republicans U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (4th District), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (1st District) and Julia Letlow (5th District), a member of the Appropriations Committee that controls the country’s pursestrings.

Doing so put Republican U.S. Rep. Graves, the current 6th District congressman, in peril by dismantling his boundaries in favor of a majority Black voter population.

Graves has insisted the map is unconstitutional and predicts it will be overturned by the federal court.

But even though it’s Graves’ career in Congress that is most at risk, the other incumbents will also have to run in new boundaries in the Nov. 5, 2024 presidential and congressional elections if the map holds.

Meanwhile, voters also await final word on what district they will live in and whether Black voters will keep their hard-fought chance to double their representation in Congress.

Democratic Louisiana Sen. Royce Duplessis of New Orleans and Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis were the final two witnesses for the defense Wednesday in support of the map.

“I was proud when Gov. Landry said he was going to do the right thing and very proud in the bipartisan vote for the map that is current law,” Duplessis said, testifying he believes the map to be fair and that political considerations also drove the boundaries of the map.

But previous witnesses for the defense testified that there was a single-minded effort to draw the new map on race alone.

“The racial component was the fundamental tenet,” Republican Shreveport state Sen. Thomas Pressly testified Monday. “We were told we had to have two African-American districts. Otherwise the court would draw the map for us.”

The lawsuit is just the latest litigation challenging the state’s congressional boundaries.

Late last year a federal appeals court upheld Baton Rouge Middle District Judge Shelly Dick’s earlier ruling requiring Louisiana’s congressional map be redrawn to include a second majority Black district out of six to comply with the Voting Rights Act.

Those rulings sprang from the efforts of civil rights and voting rights groups like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU and others who have been logging court battles for two years seeking a second Black majority district.

Attorneys for those groups, known as intervenors, joined with the state attorneys in defending the current map during this week’s federal trial.

Attorneys for both groups told USA Today Network they hope the judges will issue a ruling within a week, but there is no deadline.

The three-judge panel includes Carl Stewart, a Bill Clinton appointee from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Robert Summershays and David Joseph, both Donald Trump appointees from the U.S. Western District.

More: Trial begins in Shreveport on whether Louisiana’s new Black congressional district is legal

More: Testimony: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wanted Rep. Garret Graves out in new congress map

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Oct. 30, 2025

Published

18 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Oct. 30, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Oct. 30 drawing

3-9-7

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Oct. 30 drawing

6-7-1-5

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Oct. 30 drawing

1-3-6-0-7

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

How many people in Louisiana could lose SNAP? What to know about state’s food stamp program

Published

2 days ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

How many people in Louisiana could lose SNAP? What to know about state’s food stamp program

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the most effective anti-hunger program in the U.S., reaching around 41 million people in 2024, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

This program plays a critical role in reducing poverty, improving health and economic outcomes, supporting people who are paid low wages, as well as serving as the first line of defense against hunger during economic downturns.

In Louisiana, hundreds of thousands of residents rely on SNAP, with more than 16% of the state’s population receiving SNAP benefits, according to the USDA.

Who all benefits from SNAP? What to know in Louisiana

SNAP helped approximately 41,697,500 people in the U.S., which is 12% of the total population, or one in eight citizens, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

In 2024, SNAP helped 847,100 people in Louisiana, or 18% of the state’s population, which equates to one in five residents, according to the CBPP.

In Louisiana, over 69% of SNAP participants are in families with children, over 37% are in families with members who are older adults or are disabled, and over 35% are in working families, says the CBPP.

Majority of SNAP participants in the state have incomes below the poverty line, with 41% having income at or below 50% of the poverty line, 44% having income between 51 to 100% of the poverty line and 15% having income 100% above the poverty line, according to CBPP’s analysis of USDA data.

Many households in Louisiana struggle to put food on the table, with 16.2% of households living in food insecurity, 18.9% of the population living below the poverty line, 25% of children living in families below the poverty line and 14.2% of older adults living below the poverty line, according to the CBPP.

What benefits do SNAP participants receive in Louisiana?

SNAP benefits are targeted according to need, with very low-income households receiving more in benefits than households closer to the povery line because they need more assistance affording adequate food.

In Louisiana, SNAP participants received approximately $1.9 billion in benefits in 2024, according to the CBPP.

These were the average monthly SNAP benefits for the fiscal year 2022 in Louisiana, according to a data analysis by CBPP:

All households: $336
Households with children: $551
Working households: $418
Households with older adults: $150
Households with non-elderly disabled individuals: $276

Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com

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Louisiana

Looking to advance your career? This company offers the best opportunities in Louisiana

Published

2 days ago

October 29, 2025

Press Room

Looking to advance your career? This company offers the best opportunities in Louisiana

CareerMinds, a global outplacement and career management partner, carried out a survey of 3,002 workers based on career development opportunities.

CareerMinds found that upskilling has become less of an optional, extra step and more of a career essential.

Taking this into account, CareerMinds developed a map that highlights the company in each state where workers have the most opportunities for upskilling and career progression.

Ochsner Health said to be the best company in Louisiana for career development. What to know

In CareerMinds’ survey, Louisiana residents voted Ochsner Health as the company they would most like to work for.

The study found that healthcare companies are sought-after, as states with major medical systems saw increased interest in healthcare employers and upskilling within medicine.

This year, Ochsner Health was named on Fortune Magazine’s “Best Workplaces in Health Care” list, with 82% of employees saying the company is a great place to work, according to Great Place to Work.

Additionally, U.S. News & World Report has recognized Ochsner as the number one hospital in Louisiana for 14 censecutive years and Ochsner Children’s as the number one hospital for children for four consecutive years, according to Great Place to Work.

Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, delivering care at its 46 hospitals and over 370 health and urgent care centers, says Great Place to Work.

The best companies for career development for 2025 in each state according to CareerMinds

Alabama: Mercedez-Benz U.S. International
Alaska: Northern Alaska Tour Company
Arizona: Intel Corporation
Arkansas: Walmart
California: Kaiser Permanente
Colorado: Lockheed Martin
Connecticut: Hartford HealthCare
Delaware: DuPont
Florida: Royal Caribbean Group
Georgia: Coca-Cola
Hawaii: Hawaiin Airlines
Idaho: Micron Technology
Illinois: United Airlines
Indiana: Cummins
Iowa: Principal Financial Group
Kansas: Garmin
Kentucky: Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky
Louisiana: Ochsner Health
Maine: L.L. Bean
Maryland: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Massachusetts: Boston Scientific
Michigan: General Motors
Minnesota: Target Corporation
Mississippi: Peavey Electronics
Missouri: Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Montana: Glacier Bancorp
Nebraska: Union Pacific Railroad
Nevada: MGM Resorts International
New Hampshire: Fidelity Investments
New Jersey: Merck & Co.
New Mexico: Intel Corporation
New York: Pfizer
North Carolina: Bank of America
North Dakota: Bobcat Company
Ohio: Procter & Gamble
Oklahoma: Devon Energy
Oregon: Nike
Pennsylvania: Hershey Company
Rhode Island: Brown University
South Carolina: Prisma Health
South Dakota: First PREMIER Bank/ PREMIER Bankcard
Tennessee: Venderbilt University Medical Center
Texas: AT&T
Utah: Intermountain Health
Vermont: GlobalFoundries
Virginia: Capital One
Washington: Amazon
West Virginia: CAMC Health System
Wisconsin: Harley-Davidson
Wyoming: Wyoming Medical Center

Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com

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