Ahead of Oral Argument, Eric Holder Calls on SCOTUS to Protect Louisiana’s Two Black Opportunity Districts

For Immediate Release
March 24, 2025
Contact
Madia Coleman
coleman@redistrictingfoundation.org

Washington, D.C. – Today, Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, issued the following statement on Louisiana v. Callais, a redistricting lawsuit that is set to go to oral argument today before the U.S. Supreme Court:

“This Court ruled just two years ago to uphold Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, so any decision coming out of this case should do the same. The Voting Rights Act enshrines the right to an equal opportunity to access our political system – and for Black Louisianans that means having two congressional districts where their voices can be meaningfully heard. Anything short of that would be a textbook violation of that law.

“This absurd challenge to Louisiana’s fair map presents the same arguments as the anti-civil rights coalition did to prevent the enactment and reauthorizations of the Voting Rights Act a generation ago. In moments like this, it is the duty of the courts to protect the rights of American citizens, and in this case the Supreme Court must reinstate Louisiana’s Voting Rights Act-compliant map.” 

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:

The congressional map passed into law by the state of Louisiana in 2022 allowed Black voters to elect a candidate of their choice in just one of six congressional districts, despite the fact that Black voters made up a third of the state’s population. In response, the NRF initiated Galmon v. Ardoin, consolidated with Robinson v. Ardoin, a lawsuit that challenged Louisiana’s gerrymandered congressional map for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That litigation was ultimately successful in requiring the state of Louisiana to enact a new map that includes two Black opportunity districts, in compliance with Section 2. 

Immediately after enactment of this new map, a separate lawsuit—the Callais case—was filed, and a lower federal court wrongly struck down Louisiana’s VRA-compliant map. Following that decision, the NRF-supported voters from the Galmon case, alongside the Robinson group, filed an emergency stay request to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Court granted that request. This kept Louisiana’s VRA-compliant map in place for the 2024 election, which allowed Louisianans to elect two Black Members of Congress to represent their state simultaneously for the first time in almost three decades. 

Now, this case is set to go to oral argument today before the U.S.Supreme Court at 10 AM ET. A decision by the Court will determine whether Louisiana’s Voting Rights Act-compliant congressional map, which includes two Black opportunity districts, will remain in place for the remainder of the decade. The National Redistricting Foundation (NRF) is supporting the Galmon Amici, who have filed an amicus brief in support of Louisiana’s current Voting Rights Act-compliant map to the Court. 

To learn more about the NRF’s work, click here. 

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