The plaintiffs who successfully persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Louisiana's congressional map are now accusing state officials of delaying the redistricting process and failing to provide clear election deadlines as lawmakers race to redraw the map ahead of the midterms.
In a May 27 court filing, the plaintiffs in Louisiana v. Callais argued that state officials have moved too slowly to replace the congressional map the Supreme Court invalidated April 29. They also argued the officials have failed to clearly lay out candidate qualifying periods and primary election dates.
🚨 Callais plaintiffs accuse Louisiana of dragging out the redistricting process and concealing the state’s true election deadline to keep an allegedly unconstitutional race-based congressional map in place for the 2026 elections. pic.twitter.com/Wcoijcrd9l
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) May 27, 2026
The plaintiffs contend the delays could allow the invalidated map to remain in place longer during the 2026 election cycle. They asked the federal court overseeing the case to impose a more structured schedule for resolving the dispute.
The allegations come as Louisiana lawmakers consider SB 121, a Republican-backed proposal intended to replace the map struck down by the Supreme Court. The legislation advanced in the Louisiana House May 27 and would create one majority-black congressional district centered around New Orleans.
The Supreme Court ruled in April that Louisiana's previous congressional map, which included two majority-black districts, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The decision forced state lawmakers to redraw district boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections.
The new proposal would dismantle the current 6th Congressional District represented by Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields and is expected to favor Republicans in five of the state's six congressional districts.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys argued that the state has allowed uncertainty surrounding election administration to persist since the ruling. They said clearer deadlines and a faster process are needed to ensure a replacement map is adopted promptly.
The parties remain at odds over how quickly the redistricting process should move and what deadlines should govern Louisiana’s 2026 elections.
The case is one of several emerging redistricting disputes across the South following the Supreme Court's Callais decision, which narrowed the role race can play in drawing congressional districts and prompted states to revisit recently drawn maps – many of which favor Democrats.