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.

Source link

Click to comment

Louisiana

$604 Mega Millions jackpot has Louisiana players dreaming big

Published

7 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

4 Mega Millions jackpot has Louisiana players dreaming big

ST. MARTIN PARISH — As the Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $604 million, excitement is growing in St. Martinville, where a quick stop at a convenience store has many imagining what they would do if they won.

The jackpot, the largest Mega Millions prize offered so far this year, drew plenty of attention at Simmis Mart. Some customers were ready to buy tickets, while others simply enjoyed thinking about the possibilities.

Charlotte Wilson said she has noticed that major lottery jackpots often seem to be won outside Louisiana, but that has not stopped her from hoping.

“When they do hit it’s always out of state. It’s never in Louisiana in a little small town, but if you do hit and I win!” Wilson said.

The excitement extended beyond customers. Store employee Vicky Williams admitted she would not mind seeing some of the jackpot come her way.

“I need to get some of that. I could use some of that money,” Williams said.

Among those purchasing a ticket was Shakina Hart, who said playing the lottery is something she has done before, “I’ve played it in the past, but never won the Mega Millions, so yes, I’m hoping I’m winning on this,” Hart said.

For Wilson, hitting the jackpot would be about more than the money. She already knows exactly how she’d put it to use.

“First of all, I’ll buy me a house and a nice car, and I’ll take care of the homeless people because they have a lot of those that need somewhere to live who are hungry and homeless,” Wilson said.

Hart said her priorities would center on her family, especially her children’s education.

“I have one that wants to be a lawyer and one that wants to be a doctor, so the money would definitely help with their school funding and basic care needs,” Hart said.

The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for Friday July 10th. While the odds of winning remain long, the growing jackpot has many people holding onto the same thought: What if their numbers are the ones called?

Source link

Louisiana

Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows Welcomes Inaugural Class – Leaders for a Better Louisiana

Published

17 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows Welcomes Inaugural Class – Leaders for a Better Louisiana

Nearly 40 years after launching Louisiana’s premier statewide leadership development program, Leaders for a Better Louisiana is proud to announce the inaugural class of Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows, marking an important new chapter in the organization’s longstanding commitment to developing informed, connected leaders equipped to address the state’s most pressing challenges.

Building on the proven model and legacy of Leadership Louisiana, the Health Fellows program brings together leaders from across healthcare, business, public policy, higher education, philanthropy, and community organizations to gain a deeper understanding of the systems, opportunities, and challenges shaping health outcomes across Louisiana. Throughout the year, fellows will participate in immersive sessions across the state, engaging directly with healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, workforce leaders, and innovators while exploring the issues that influence the health and well-being of Louisiana’s people and communities.

“The strength of Leadership Louisiana has always been its ability to bring together accomplished leaders from different sectors and regions to learn from one another while developing a broader understanding of our state,” said Sheree Blanchard, Director of Leadership Louisiana. “The Health Fellows program extends that tradition by focusing on one of Louisiana’s most significant opportunities for improvement. We are excited to welcome this outstanding inaugural class.”

The inaugural class represents a broad cross-section of Louisiana’s healthcare and civic leadership, with participants serving in hospitals, health systems, higher education, business, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and community-based organizations throughout the state. Together, they bring diverse expertise and perspectives that will strengthen dialogue and collaboration around Louisiana’s health challenges and opportunities.

“From the beginning, our vision was to create a program that mirrors the excellence and impact of Leadership Louisiana while taking a comprehensive look at the many factors that influence health outcomes,” said Blanchard. “This first class reflects the caliber of leadership we hoped to attract, and we look forward to watching these fellows build lasting relationships and develop new ideas that will benefit communities across Louisiana.”

Leadership Louisiana has graduated more than 1,600 leaders over nearly four decades, creating one of the state’s strongest cross-sector leadership networks. Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows builds on that foundation by providing participants with a focused exploration of Louisiana’s healthcare landscape while reinforcing the program’s longstanding commitment to collaboration, informed leadership, and service to the state.

The 2027 Health Fellows class will begin its yearlong experience this summer with sessions held in multiple regions of Louisiana.

View the complete roster of the Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows inaugural class.

Source link