CASE SUMMARY

On March 30, 2022 a group of Louisiana voters filed a federal lawsuit against Louisiana's Secretary of State challenging Louisiana's enacted congressional plan as violating the Voting Rights Act. The plaintiffs allege the plan fails to create a second majority-Black congressional district which results in the dilution of Black voters' voting strength in violation of Section 2 of the VRA. They are seeking a judicial declaration that the enacted plan violates the Voting Rights Act, an injunction barring the defendant from using the plan in future elections, and for the court to order the creation of a new congressional plan that includes a second majority-Black congressional district.

On April 12, 2022 the district court consolidated this action with two other challenges to Louisiana's redistricting plans, Robinson v. Ardoin and Nairne v. Ardoin. On June 6, 2022, the district court granted the plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction and barred the enacted congressional plan from being used in future elections after ruling the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their Section 2 claim. The court ordered the State to enact a remedial plan by June 20, 2022. Several defendants and the legislative intervenors appealed this ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit the same day. On June 9, the Fifth Circuit issued an administrative stay of the district court's injunction pending further review of the court. The court lifted its administrative stay and denied the motion for stay pending appeal three days later.

On June 17, Louisiana's Secretary of State filed an emergency application for an administrative stay, stay pending appeal, and petition for writ of certiorari before judgment with the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the application and stayed the district court's preliminary injunction, thereby allowing the enacted plan to be used in the 2022 election. The Court's order granted a writ of certiorari before judgment and stated it would hold the case in abeyance pending its ruling in the Alabama redistricting case before it, Merrill v. Milligan.

For a complete list of filings in this case, see the litigation page for Robinson v. Ardoin.

Related Cases: Robinson v. Ardoin; Milligan v. Merrill; Caster v. Merrill

Similar Case: Nairne v. Ardoin

CASE LIBRARY

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana - No. 3:22-cv-214 [together with Nos. 3:22-cv-178, 3:22-cv-211]

Galmon v. Ardoin
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