Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry suspended the state's May 16 House primaries on Thursday, one day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its congressional map. The ruling weakened a key section of the Voting Rights Act, triggering an immediate scramble among Republican-led southern states to redraw district lines. Democratic Rep. Troy Carter warned the decision could eliminate representation for millions of Black voters.
The suspension was mandatory. Landry cited an emergency provision in state law, a required step before Republican Gov. Jeff Landry could issue an executive order to formally halt the races. He did so hours later, urging the legislature to pass new maps and schedule elections "as soon as practical."
Early voting was set to begin May 2. Ballots had already been printed. The state's Senate primary and other local races will proceed as planned, with notices posted at all voting locations explaining the House primary's suspension.
President Trump thanked the governor for moving quickly. The clock is the enemy. Louisiana's timeline is impossibly tight, but the political prize is enormous.
A CBS News analysis found that in a best-case scenario for Republicans, the ruling could allow southern states to redraw maps and add between one to nine more GOP-friendly districts for the 2026 midterms. That number could grow for the 2028 cycle. Time is a brutal obstacle.
Many states have already held primaries or passed candidate qualification deadlines. Last-minute map changes also risk violating the "Purcell principle," which bars federal courts from altering election rules too close to an election. Another obstacle is the national mood.
Voter frustration with the economy and the ongoing U.S. war with Iran has created a difficult political environment for the party in power. "If you draw a Trump +7 district or even a Trump +10 district, that may not be enough," said Michael Li, senior counsel in the Brennan Center's Democracy Program. "So why not wait til' an election cycle in 2028 that might be better for your party?"
Some states are not waiting. Florida's Republican-controlled legislature passed a new map proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday.
It awaits his signature. The map eliminates or shrinks Democratic-leaning districts in Tampa, Orlando, and parts of the southeast coast, potentially adding four Republican-leaning seats. DeSantis's general counsel, David Axelman, argued in a letter to lawmakers that the Supreme Court ruling means the state does not have to follow racial requirements in its own constitution's "Fair Districts" Amendments.
Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias has pledged to challenge the map in court. Tennessee's map could become a nine-to-zero Republican sweep. Sen.
Marsha Blackburn, a gubernatorial candidate, has repeatedly called for a special legislative session to break up the 9th District, which encompasses Memphis and its large Black population. The state's primary is August 6, but the candidate qualification deadline passed in March. Bill Lee has not yet called a session, though state House Republican Whip Johnny Garrett voiced support. "Tennessee should do its part in supporting @realDonaldTrump's America First agenda by getting rid of the woke @RepCohen," Garrett wrote on social media.
President Trump said he called Lee and was told the governor would "work hard to correct the unconstitutional flaw."
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced a redistricting session for May 20, 21 days after the ruling. The session was technically called to redraw state Supreme Court districts challenged for diluting Black voting power.
But GOP operatives expect congressional redistricting to be added to the agenda. The target is the 2nd Congressional District, a majority-Black seat held by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson.
The problem is the same as Louisiana's: Mississippi's primaries happened in March. Scheduling a new one is expensive and logistically chaotic. "There's lots of complications," Li said. "If you schedule an August primary, like who's going to turn out for another primary in August?"
That has not quieted the rhetoric. Kevin Blackwell. State Auditor Shad White added that the ruling "likely opens the door to redrawing Mississippi's congressional districts."
Alabama is taking a more cautious path. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the state in a similar case, Allen v.
Milligan, ordering it to create a second Black-majority district. After a federal three-judge panel ruled the new map still violated the Voting Rights Act, Alabama appealed again. Kay Ivey pointed to that pending litigation as a reason not to call a special session yet. "While we are not in position to have a special session at this time, I hope in light of this new decision, the court is favorable to Alabama," Ivey said.
Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state "will act as quickly as possible" to apply the Louisiana ruling, calling the current map a "racial quota system the Constitution forbids."
The human stakes are concrete. Louisiana is nearly one-third Black, according to the U.S. Census.
A new map could carve up the state's Black-majority seats and produce a delegation with no Black or Democratic representation. "We can realistically end up having six congressional districts with no African-American, or Democratic representation, it's very possible, given what we've seen happen across this country," Rep. Troy Carter told CBS News. The policy says one thing.
The reality says another. Carter framed the ruling as a generational setback. "This can impact up to 19 or 20 seats in the congressional Black Caucus. It can impact school boards.
It can impact city councils, legislative seats. This is, in fact, an explosive move to turn the clock back all the way pre-1965," he said. What this actually means for your family.
A diluted vote in a school board election changes who decides on a child's curriculum. A shifted city council district determines which neighborhood gets a new park or a grocery store. The effects cascade far beyond Washington.
Why It Matters: A successful redraw in Louisiana alone could flip two seats to the GOP. Multiplied across Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and potentially Alabama, the ruling could reshape control of the U.S. House without a single voter changing their mind.
The legal basis for the maps—the Voting Rights Act of 1965—was the legislative heart of the civil rights movement. Its weakening removes the primary federal tool that ensured Black voters could elect candidates of their choice in regions with a history of racial discrimination. - The Supreme Court ruling weakens Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the core legal protection for majority-minority districts. - Louisiana immediately suspended its primary; Florida passed a new map; Mississippi and Tennessee are actively exploring redraws. - The practical obstacles of time, cost, and the Purcell principle may limit how many new maps take effect for 2026, but the 2028 cycle is wide open. Troy Carter warns the decision could eliminate up to 20 Black-majority seats across all levels of government.
Louisiana's legislature must now pass a new map under intense time pressure. The governor's executive order pushes for elections "as soon as practical," but no date is set. Legal challenges are certain.
Marc Elias, the Democratic Party's preeminent election lawyer, has already targeted Florida's map. Every redrawn line will face a courtroom fight. The 2026 midterms will be shaped not just by candidates, but by cartographers working against a ticking clock.
The maps drawn now will structure American political power for a decade.
Key Takeaways
— - The Supreme Court ruling weakens Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the core legal protection for majority-minority districts.
— - Louisiana immediately suspended its primary; Florida passed a new map; Mississippi and Tennessee are actively exploring redraws.
— - The practical obstacles of time, cost, and the Purcell principle may limit how many new maps take effect for 2026, but the 2028 cycle is wide open.
— - Democratic Rep. Troy Carter warns the decision could eliminate up to 20 Black-majority seats across all levels of government.
Source: CBS News
