Louisiana Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Congressional Election Map to Avoid ‘Chaos’

Louisiana officials asked the Supreme Court on May 10 to reinstate a congressional election map after a federal district court ruled upcoming elections may not be conducted under that map which created a second black-majority district. Louisiana says the federal district court overstepped its authority and that if the map is not restored there will be “election chaos.” The state says there is no time to waste because it is required to adhere to a strict schedule to administer this year’s elections. The Supreme Court could rule on the matter as soon as this upcoming week. Attorneys for the state filed an emergency application with the nation’s highest court asking it to put on hold a 2–1 ruling from last month by a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. The panel found that a map approved earlier this year by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature was unconstitutional racial gerrymandering that disfavored non-black voters....