By Joseph Ax
May 29 (Reuters) - Louisiana Republicans on Friday approved a new congressional map that dismantles a Democratic-held, majority-Black seat, boosting their party's odds of retaining the U.S. House of Representatives in November's midterm elections.
The state joined several other Republican-led Southern states that have rushed to break up Democratic seats with significant Black populations after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in April severely weakened legal protections for such districts.
The map, which passed the state House of Representatives on Thursday, was approved 28-10 by the state Senate on Friday along party lines. The bill now goes to Republican Governor Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it.
Republicans hold four of the state's six districts under a map drawn in 2024 to comply with a court order mandating the creation of a second district with a Black majority or near-majority, under the federal Voting Rights Act. Black Democrats represent the two districts with large Black populations.
But the Supreme Court struck down the 2024 map as an illegal racial gerrymander, a ruling that opened the door for Louisiana and other states to take aim at majority-minority districts that had previously enjoyed more robust guardrails.
Landry postponed the May 16 U.S. House primary elections to give lawmakers time to draw the new map, which breaks up Democratic U.S. Representative Cleo Fields' Baton Rouge-centered district. At the time of Landry's order, thousands of mail ballots had already been cast, and voting rights advocates warned the decision would cause confusion and chaos for voters.
Democratic lawmakers criticized the map as an effort to disenfranchise Black voters, while Republicans argued that they drew the lines solely based on partisanship, not race.
The wave of Southern redistricting efforts is the latest front in a national redistricting war that started last summer, when President Donald Trump pushed Texas Republicans to redraw the state's congressional map to target incumbent Democrats.
Republicans have emerged as the redistricting victors, gaining an advantage in as many as 10 seats pending the outcome of legal challenges.
But Democrats remain well positioned to capture a U.S. House majority in November in light of Trump's sagging approval ratings and voter frustration over rising costs.
(Reporting by Joseph AxEditing by Nick Zieminski)
