The Advocate: Gov. John Bel Edwards calls special session for June 15; congressional districts to be focus

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday called a special session for the Republican-controlled Legislature to draw new congressional boundaries after a federal judge struck down the map that won approval earlier this year.

The gathering would start at noon on June 15 and have to end by 6 p.m. on June 20th, according to the governor's proclamation.

Edwards' call came less than 24 hours after the Legislature ended its nearly three-month regular session Monday.

Chief Judge Shelly Dick of the U.S. Middle District of Louisiana ordered the Legislature to come up with a new map that contains a second majority-Black congressional district. The current one has one majority-Black district of the six in Louisiana.

Legislative leaders said Monday they are confident the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will put a hold on Dick's order.

Edwards and other Democrats praised the court ruling and said Black voters deserve a second congressional district because of clear population trends.

The current map was crafted by lawmakers during a special session in February.

Rep. John Stefanski, R-Crowley, who led map-making efforts in the House, said Tuesday judges on the 5th Circuit "may think differently" than Dick.

"But there are no guarantees," Stefanski noted.

He said he remains confident that, after the court proceedings play out, the congressional map approved in February will survive any challenges.

What happens if the 5th Circuit puts the brakes on Dick's ruling is unclear.

Stefanski said he is not aware of any provision in the state Constitution that allows for a special session call to be rescinded. He said lawmakers could convene and quickly adjourn if they concluded the gathering was unnecessary.

Shauna Sanford, a spokeswoman for Edwards, said "We’re confident in the judge’s ruling and look forward to the special session."

GOP leaders have long said the congressional map is fair and that crafting a second majority-Black district would disrupt communities and cause other problems.

But 2nd Congressional District U.S. Rep. Troy Carter Sr., who represents Louisiana's lone Black majority district, praised Monday's ruling. "The foundational principle of our democracy, the right to vote, must be protected at all costs and I'm glad that the courts agreed as they struck down these unfair, racially discriminatory maps," said Carter, a former state senator himself.

State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, who played a major role in crafting the maps in the Senate, said Tuesday guidance from the court will drive how the special session proceeds.

"It really depends on what the 5th Circuit says," Hewitt said. "They could issue a stay and then there could be some guidance in terms of how they want to proceed."

Hewitt said during the legislative debate two maps offered as ensuring two Black majority congressional districts were so close statistically that there was no guarantee how they would perform.

When Edwards vetoed the map he said it did not reflect the fact that the Black population makes up nearly one in three residents.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, also complimented Dick's decision.

"The court was clear: Louisiana's census data shows that the state's growth over the past decade was due to growth in communities of color," ACLU of Louisiana Legal Director Nora Ahmed said in a statement. "For voters of color to be fully included in our democratic process, our maps have to fairly reflect our state's population."

Dick's ruling blocks Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin from holding elections until new boundaries include two minority-majority districts.

Those contests are set for November, with any runoffs scheduled for December.

The judge said the new map needs to comply with Section 2 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act by June 20, and that the court would step in and craft its own map if the Legislature fails to do so.