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Senator Morris presents three alternative congressional maps; colleagues warn proposals could reduce Black representation
Summary
Senator Morris offered three draft maps (SB 121, SB 130, SB 116) as possible responses to the Supreme Court’s Calais ruling. Colleagues raised data showing the plans could reduce the number of majority‑Black congressional districts; Morris said race and party were not considered and denied racist intent.
Senator Morris presented three alternative congressional plans to the redistricting committee — SB 121, SB 130 and SB 116 — describing them as starting points the legislature could modify. He said SB 121 mirrors the 2022 map that had previously survived legal challenges; SB 130 adjusts coastal districts to create two coastal seats; and SB 116 was described by the sponsor as a placeholder map drawn without intentional consideration of race or party.
Several senators pushed Morris on whether his plans would reduce the number of majority‑Black congressional districts in Louisiana. Senator Carter and others cited map statistics and asked directly whether the proposals would reduce Black congressional representation from two majority‑Black seats to one or none. Morris acknowledged others have described his SB 116 as a “6‑0” plan but said he did not draw it with the aim of eliminating majority‑Black districts and that he instructed his demographer not to consider race or party.
The exchange expanded to include Morris’ broader legislative record; senators pointed to recent bills consolidating clerk positions and reducing judgeships in Orleans Parish and asked whether the totality of the sponsor’s legislation would weaken African American political power in the region. Morris responded that his measures seek parity and efficiency, that consolidated positions are being replaced and that partisan redistricting is legally permissible under recent precedent.
Senator Jenkins and other members pressed the sponsor with district-level voting‑age population figures from the SB 116 plan, arguing the numbers show Black voters would be spread across districts where their influence would be reduced rather than concentrated in districts able to elect their preferred candidates. Morris reiterated he favored maps that were race‑neutral in method and that any ultimate map would be the legislature’s decision; he said he filed multiple options so the body could be prepared after the Calais ruling.
The committee did not vote on any of Morris’ bills. Members scheduled public testimony after the authors’ presentations and said they would continue to examine the data and legal implications before advancing any plan.
