CASE SUMMARY

On March 30, 2022, a coalition of civil rights organizations and Louisiana voters filed a federal lawsuit against Louisiana’s Secretary of State challenging the state’s enacted congressional redistricting plan as diluting Black voters’ voting strength in violation of Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act (“VRA”). They sought a judicial declaration that the plan violates the VRA, a preliminary and permanent injunction barring the plan from use in future elections, and a court order requiring the State to enact a new, lawful plan.

  • On April 12, 2022, the district court consolidated this case with two other pending challenges to Louisiana’s congressional and legislative plans, Galmon v. Ardoin and Nairne v. Ardoin.
  • On May 17, 2022, the court allowed the State of Louisiana and the Presiding Officers of the Louisiana Legislature to intervene in the case as defendants.
  • On June 6, 2022, the court issued a preliminary injunction barring the congressional plan from use in future elections after finding the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their Section 2 claim and ordered the State to enact a remedial interim plan by June 20, 2022. The defendants appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit the same day.
  • On June 17, 2022, while its Fifth Circuit appeal was still pending, Louisiana’s Secretary of State filed an emergency application for stay with the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 28, SCOTUS granted the application and stayed the district court’s preliminary injunction on June 28, thereby allowing the State’s congressional plan to be used in the 2022 election. SCOTUS also decided to treat the application as a petition for certiorari before judgment, granted it, and ordered the case be held in abeyance pending its decision in another Section 2 case pending before it, Allen v. Milligan.
  • SCOTUS issued its Allen decision on June 8, 2023, and on June 28 the Court vacated its stay and remanded the case back to the Fifth Circuit to continue proceedings.
  • The Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments on October 6, 2023.
  • On November 10, 2023, the Fifth Circuit vacated the district court’s preliminary injunction on the grounds a replacement map for the 2022 election was no longer necessary and remanded the case back to the district court. While not requiring it to do so, the appeals court gave the State until January 15, 2024, to pass a new congressional plan if it wanted before proceedings would begin again in the district court.

Related Cases: Galmon 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-211 [together with Nos. 3:22-cv-178, 3:22-cv-214]

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - No. 22-30333

U.S. Supreme Court - No. 21-1596 [Ardoin v. Robinson] [formerly No. 21A814]

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - No. 22-30333 [Remand]

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - No. 23-30642

U.S. Supreme Court - No. 23A281

U.S. Supreme Court - No. 23A282

Robinson v. Ardoin
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