Louisiana faces Supreme Court showdowns over redistricting and religious laws

Louisiana is at the center of two high-profile legal battles that could reshape the state’s political and cultural landscape.

Both a contentious redistricting fight over congressional maps and the ongoing litigation against a law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms will be heard by the nation's highest court.

Redistricting Battle Heads to U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon take up the consolidated cases of Robinson v. Callais and Louisiana v. Callais, challenging the congressional maps drawn by the Louisiana Legislature earlier this year.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana determined that the latest map amounted to a racial gerrymander. The court’s order, issued in compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, required the Legislature to include a second Black-majority district.

The fight stems from the 2020 Census, which showed Black Louisianans make up roughly one-third of the state’s population. Historically, however, they’ve had only one Black-majority congressional district out of six.

Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation, criticized Louisiana’s initial maps, saying, "For far too long Louisianians have had to contend with a map that was not representative of the people who live and vote there. As held recently by multiple courts, the Voting Rights Act requires Louisiana to have a congressional map with two Black opportunity districts."

After two years of litigation, the NRF-backed plaintiffs successfully argued that the original maps diluted Black voting power.

However, the newly drawn maps are now under scrutiny from a separate group of plaintiffs, self-identified as "non-African American voters," who allege the maps constitute racial gerrymandering.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, chair of the NRF, defended the maps, stating, "This should not be a difficult case for the Supreme Court to resolve. This is, after all, a Court that just last year affirmed the validity of essentially the same enforcement section of the Voting Rights Act."

Holder added, "Federal law, the Supreme Court’s own precedent, and basic fairness dictate that Black Louisianans vote on truly representative and fair maps."

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has filed a brief defending Senate Bill 8 , the Legislature’s revised map, arguing it represents a "good-faith attempt" to balance competing legal mandates.

"Our brief urges the Supreme Court to uphold SB8 and provide clarity to states that, like Louisiana, are forced into endless litigation every time a new census requires redistricting," Murrill said. The case is expected to be a pivotal test of how the Court interprets the VRA following its ruling in Allen v. Milligan.

Legal Challenges to Ten Commandments Law

Simultaneously, Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law, passed earlier this year, faces its own constitutional challenges. The law, which requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, was temporarily blocked by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, who ruled that it likely violates the First Amendment’s prohibition on government establishment of religion.

The injunction came after plaintiffs — including the Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation — argued the law infringes on students’ religious freedoms and forces exposure to religious doctrine.

"Religious education is very important for us to do as parents," said Darcy Roake, a minister in the Unitarian Universalist Church and a plaintiff in the case. "That is for my husband and I to have discussions with them."

DeGravelles’ opinion noted similarities between Louisiana’s law and a Kentucky statute struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in Stone v. Graham. He described the law as "discriminatory and coercive," adding that its overtly religious intent makes it "unconstitutional on its face."

Murrill expressed disagreement with the ruling and vowed to appeal.

"We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and will immediately appeal," she said in a statement.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled oral arguments for January, leaving the law’s enforcement in limbo.

Critics of the law argue it creates an inappropriate entanglement of government and religion. Dr. Steven Green, an expert commissioned by the plaintiffs, testified that the Ten Commandments have little historical connection to America’s founding documents, challenging the state’s claims of their significance.

State attorneys, however, argue the lawsuit is premature since the mandated displays have not yet been implemented. They contend that schools could design displays that align with constitutional requirements.

Louisiana’s tensions with the federal government also extend to a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over plans to release a tuberculosis-positive Chinese migrant into the country without approval from the state Health Department.

In a letter to the The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gov. Jeff Landry raised concerns about the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, criticizing its implementation under former Gov. John Bel Edwards and calling for further reviews of funding, permitting, and environmental impacts.

Landry highlighted incomplete analyses, legal challenges, and conflicts with efforts to address saltwater intrusion in the Mississippi River, questioning the project's viability under current conditions.

He urged federal agencies to collaborate on ensuring the project is sustainable and cost-effective, noting that costs have doubled since 2016.