In a landmark decision on August 14, 2025, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Louisiana’s legislative district maps violate the federal Voting Rights Act, upholding a lower court’s finding that the boundaries discriminate against Black voters. This ruling, stemming from the case Nairne v. Landry, reinforces a growing national debate about the future of race-based redistricting and the integrity of American democracy.
The panel of appellate judges—James Dennis, Catharina Haynes, and Irma Carrillo Ramirez, each appointed by presidents from both major parties—affirmed U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick’s 2024 decision. According to Louisiana Illuminator, Judge Dick found that the maps, adopted in 2022, failed to create additional majority-Black districts and denied Black voters a fair opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. The plaintiffs, a group of Black voters, alleged that the maps were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders that diluted their voting power.
Political analyst Scott Hughes explained the mechanics of the discrimination: “By putting them in districts where they wouldn’t get representation. And then where they had to have some black voting districts, they packed them instead of making them reasonable, they overpacked them in black districts, thus creating fewer black districts.” This process, known as “packing and cracking,” effectively reduced the influence of Black voters across the state, despite the fact that roughly one-third of Louisiana’s voting population is Black. Hughes noted, “You look at the 105 house seats, you look at the 39 Senate seats, and the argument goes a third of those roughly should be winnable by African American/Democrat. And they’re really not.”
The state of Louisiana, however, pushed back hard against these findings. In appeals, the state argued that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act—the provision at the heart of the dispute—was itself unconstitutional. The panel of the 5th Circuit, widely regarded as one of the nation’s most conservative federal appeals courts, flatly rejected this argument. “The State’s challenge to the constitutionality of § 2 is foreclosed by decades of binding precedent affirming Congress’s broad enforcement authority under the Fifteenth Amendment,” the ruling reads, as reported by The Hill.
The court also dismissed Louisiana’s claim that only the U.S. Justice Department, not private parties or civil rights groups, should be allowed to bring lawsuits under Section 2. Such a move would have stripped organizations like the NAACP of their legal standing in voting rights cases, a prospect that alarmed many advocates. The 5th Circuit relegated this argument to a footnote, stating it “is foreclosed by Fifth Circuit precedent.”
For civil rights advocates, the ruling was a cause for celebration. “This is a historic affirmation of the rights of Black voters in Louisiana,” said Megan Keenan, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, who represented the Nairne plaintiffs. “Today’s decision sends a powerful message: The Voting Rights Act is still a vital safeguard against racial discrimination in our democracy.”
But the story is far from over. The 5th Circuit’s decision does not require Louisiana lawmakers to redraw the House and Senate district maps immediately. A stay remains in place until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a related case, Louisiana v. Callais, which centers on the state’s congressional redistricting and is scheduled for a second round of arguments on October 15, 2025. As AP News and Louisiana Illuminator report, a final decision from the high court is not expected until mid-2026, meaning any new legislative maps likely would not take effect until the 2027 elections.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill voiced strong opposition to the appellate decision. “We strongly disagree with the Fifth Circuit panel’s decision. We are reviewing our options with a focus on stability in our elections and preserving state and judicial resources while the Supreme Court resolves related issues,” Murrill said in a statement. Her comments reflect the state’s ongoing determination to defend its maps and its broader challenge to the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act’s remaining protections.
The stakes in Louisiana v. Callais go well beyond state borders. As Steven Bradley, author and constitutional reform advocate, wrote in an opinion published August 15, 2025, the Supreme Court’s decision could “shape how political power is carved up in your own backyard for decades to come.” Bradley argues that the use of race as a primary factor in drawing district lines—while once a necessary remedy—has become a tool for political manipulation, packing and isolating voters and protecting incumbents from real challenges. He traces the roots of this manipulation back to early 20th-century reforms and the 2010 Citizens United decision, which he claims opened the floodgates for big money and entrenched interests to dominate the political process.
Bradley’s critique is pointed: “If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so hard to get a good candidate on the ballot, if you’ve seen your local elections turn negative and expensive overnight, if you’ve felt like your vote just doesn’t matter anymore—the Citizens United verdict explains why. The power to divide us by race, by ZIP code and by political party has become a business model.” He urges the Supreme Court to “draw a line in the sand. To say that districts should be drawn based on communities, not categories. On citizens, not skin color.”
Yet, for many in Louisiana and across the country, the Voting Rights Act remains a crucial defense against the “insidious and pervasive evil” of voter disenfranchisement. The 5th Circuit panel, quoting Congress’s intent, emphasized that the Act was passed “based on overwhelming evidence that ‘sterner and more elaborate measures were needed to address’” discriminatory practices. Judge Shelly Dick’s original ruling found that the legislative maps disenfranchised thousands of Black voters and failed to provide a fair chance for them to elect their own representatives.
Despite the court’s affirmation, the practical impact remains in limbo. Attorneys for the Nairne plaintiffs have called for swift adoption of fairer maps and special elections, but the 5th Circuit declined to allow a special election before the next regular cycle. If new maps are eventually ordered, they likely won’t be in play until 2027—meaning Louisiana’s Black voters may have to wait years for more equitable representation.
The debate over Louisiana’s legislative maps is a microcosm of a national struggle over race, representation, and the future of voting rights. As the Supreme Court prepares to weigh in, the outcome could reverberate from Baton Rouge to the smallest town council, reshaping the rules of American democracy for a generation.
